Masters of the Blades
by Toa Naruto
Summary: Tokyo wasn't the only place affected by "The Great Quake". Flung into another world by unknown means, and losing most of his memories, Naruto must fight alongside his wife against crazy super women and Child Welfare to keep their family from being broken apart.
1. Prologue

**Masters of the Blades **

**Okay, time for something different. After seeing a couple of crossovers, I decided to give it a shot. The main paring is going to be strictly Naruto x Masane. Once again, I own nothing! **

**M.o.t.B. **

**Prologue**

He didn't know how exactly he had gotten into his current situation, or what caused it for that matter. At the time, sixteen-year-old Naruto Uzumaki was with his mentor, Jiraiya the Gama Sennin, heading towards Konohagakure after being away on a training trip for nearly three years in order to prepare for Akatsuki. One moment, it was a beautiful day: the sun was shining brightly, and there was a small gentle breeze that occasionally flew through their hair. The next, total pandemonium. At least, that was what it felt like for the blonde. Out of no where, several dark storm clouds appeared in the sky, covering the sun and engulfing everything in a complete overcast. The wind became unbelievably strong, kicking up dirt at blinding speeds, and pulling trees out from the ground. Lightning struck at a rapid pace, almost coming close to frying the two shinobi on several occasions, followed with loud deafening blasts of thunder.

"Ero-sennin! What the hell is going on?" shouted Naruto, trying to project his voice over the loud commotion.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled back. "But that's not important right now! We need to find shelter from this freak calamity before we can even think of what could have caused this mess!"

But that was easier said than done. With winds that were almost as strong as a hurricane, combined with the chain lightning shooting towards the ground at random intervals, the two shinobi were hard pressed to maneuver around the dangers that were thrown at them. They had been trekking through the horrible weather for what seemed like an eternity, when Jiraiya spotted a cave that was dug into a cliff side.

"Naruto, let's head inside that cave over there! It'll be much better than trying to make it thr-" Jiraiya was abruptly cut off when a bolt of lightning struck the spot where he was about step forward. A great geyser of earth exploded upwards, sending the Gama Sennin flying back as the earthen shrapnel and stray sparks from the bolt rendered him unconscious before he hit the ground.

"Ero-sennin!" exclaimed Naruto, quickly running to his sensei's side. The man had mild bruises and electric burns all over his body. Locks of his white, spiky mane were rigidly sticking out like some sort of porcupine, and Naruto could have sworn that he saw the occasional electric spark dart between two strands. His appearance would have looked comical, if it weren't for the dire situation they were in.

Another flash of lightning and boom of thunder quickly got Naruto's attention back on track. Not wasting a moment, Naruto threw one of Jiraiya's arms over his shoulder, and proceeded to make his way to the cave. Once he had gotten the both of them out of the storm, the blonde gently placed the sennin down in order to get a better idea of his current condition. Placing his index and middle fingers on his jawline, Naruto let out a sigh of relief once he found out that his teacher still had a steady pulse. He then withdrew a kunai and positioned it in front of the man's nostrils, happy to see its metal surface get fogged up, indicating that Jiraiya was indeed breathing.

"This is just great. We're about a half day's travel from the village before this freak storm hit us, and there's no way that we can head back to the town we just passed. Plus, there's no way that we can travel with this apocalyptic storm going on. Tch, Ero-sennin's right, I _**am**_ a magnet for trouble." Naruto muttered to himself. Since he had no training in medical ninjutsu, he tried to patch up his mentor as best as he could using the medical supplies that he had on hand. Once he was satisfied with his work, he summoned a messenger toad named Kōsuke, and asked him to relay their current predicament back to the Hokage. He made sure that he emphasized to the toad that Jiraiya was alright, but would still need a professional medic to examine him once they had returned to the village. As soon as Kōsuke left, Naruto was left alone with his unconscious teacher, all the while listening to the storm howl outside. In an attempt to alleviate his stress, he began to let his eyes wander around their temporary shelter. He had to admit that he found the cave a bit unsettling for some reason, as if there was something supernatural hidden within it. His wandering eyes soon took notice of how the walls of the cave seemed to have some type of runes carved into them, and they weren't like any kanji that he'd ever seen before. Seeing this as an opportunity to help take his mind off things, he withdrew a glow stick from his pouch, and cracked it on to get a better view of the mysterious characters. From the green glow, he was able to see that the runes ran deeper into the cave, all the way to the very end.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a _little_ look around." Naruto murmured to himself. But as he walked deeper into the cave, he noticed that there were a few hieroglyphics that appeared in the middle of the runes sporadically. They depicted of what seemed like an armored man, wielding a sword, that fought off and defeated several monstrous creatures. They also depicted the man and a sword-wielding armored woman fighting off a horde of demonic, feminine-looking creatures as well. But the last one was what really perplexed him, as it depicted the man and woman suspended in mid-air, their swords crossed together, and what seemed to be light encompassing them. All and all, it just made Naruto more curious, and perhaps a bit wary of the cave. For all that he knew, this very cave could have been the tomb of an ancient warrior. That thought soon gave way to fear, as he thought about how tombs that looked similar to this cave had several superstitions of being cursed or haunted. Despite all of the changes that he went through, his fear of the supernatural and spirits still seemed to stay with him. His mind was so preoccupied with his little haunted tomb freak-out session, that he didn't notice the patch of unsettled gravel in front of him. The moment Naruto's foot landed on that specific spot, the ground immediately gave way, sending the blonde hurtling down a large tunnel. The only piece of evidence that he was even with Jiraiya was his glow stick laying on the ground in front of the hole.

Naruto, on the other hand, was scared out his mind. Gruesome and horrific scenarios played through his mind as he continued his downward descent, twisting and turning to the point that it felt like he was on some deranged playground slide. But he didn't have to wait long for the dreadful experience to end when he finally hurtled out the tunnel and into a large underground cavern that was filled with about four inches of water. Sputtering from the sudden intake of water, Naruto clambered up on top of the water's surface to get a better look of his surroundings. The interior was completely dark, which prompted Naruto to take out another glow stick and crack it open, flushing the entire area with its green florescence. Water covered the entire area, leaving no trace of visible land. But what really stood out was a large stalagmite that was jutting out smack dab in the middle of the small pool. And as he peered closer, it seemed as if there was something carved into it.

"Huh, well _that's_ not peculiar at all." was Naruto's sarcastic remark. Yet, he couldn't help but let his curiosity sway him into investigating the earthen construct anyway. As he approached closer, he noticed that the carving was that of a gauntlet-clad arm, holding a long double-edged sword pointed toward the ceiling. The sword had a cross-shaped hilt, with an orange-yellow jewel molded into the pommel. Strange tentacle markings that looked similar to tree roots were coiled around the gauntlet and reached up to the swords hilt, giving off the appearance of what a cross section diagram of a normal tree would look like.

"Okay, this is just weird. Still, whoever crafted this little number sure knows his stuff." He inched his face closer to the stone sculpture, but was surprised when the gemstone seemed to glow for a brief moment. Leaning back in surprise, he saw it glow again for a slightly longer moment.

"What the hell?" Then without warning, the gemstone shone with great intensity, as if it were the sun itself. Naruto clenched his eyes shut from the sudden bright onslaught, trying to put as much distance between himself and the bizarre light show. But then it all took a drastic turn for the worse, as the light that seemed to be contained within the gemstone slowly phased out of its container, expanding until it was large enough for a giant boulder to easily fit through it. Things went further south for the boy when he felt himself being pulled towards strange phenomenon, like water being sucked down a drain. He tried to get out of the glowing orb's path, but he discovered to his horror that the pull on him was drastically hampering on his mobility. It felt like gravity resistance seals were placed on his limbs, and on their highest setting. Gradually, Naruto found himself being pulled closer and closer towards the orb until he was about a centimeter away from touching it. The moment he made contact with the strange sphere of light, his vision was assaulted by a bright flash of white.

**M.o.t.B. **

After what seemed like hours of being in a bright incoherent limbo, Naruto was able to make sense of his surrounding environment. But what he saw once his vision cleared wasn't what he had expected. Gone was the mysterious cave that he and Jiraiya had taken cover in, and in its place was what looked like a massive city. But, it was no city that he had ever seen, and it looked as if it went through a massive catastrophe. Wrecked and dilapidated buildings surrounded him, whilst the ground that he was sitting on was severely ruptured and up-heaved, hinting that a massive earthquake had occurred. Rubble was strewn everywhere, mainly consisting of pieces from the buildings. But the clincher for the blonde was the massive flooded area that engulfed what he assumed to be another part of the devastated city. The dead silence throughout the derelict area only added to Naruto's steadily growing dread.

"Dear Kami, what happened to this place?" whispered Naruto, as he got up to better survey the damage. "Then again, I don't have a clue as to _where _I am exactly. But I guess the more important question I should be worried about is how the hell did I even get here in the first place?"

Suddenly, a woman's scream pierced through the silence. It was close, and seemed to have come from within a ruined building to his right. Wasting no time, Naruto raced into the structure through the gaping hole that was on its side. Maneuvering around inside, however, was more difficult than he had first imagined, as the interior was just as jumbled up and destroyed as the streets were. The jagged piles of rumble that littered the ground gave off the illusion of a large labyrinth that scientists used to test lab rats, except instead of a piece of cheese that was waiting for him on the end, there was a frightened and distressed woman.

"HELP ME! PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP Mmmmmph!"

And from the sound of things, she didn't have much time left. Straining himself to his fastest speed possible, he leaped over the last rubble pile and was met with a sight that made him shudder. There before him was a young woman sprawled on the ground, wearing some sort of clawed gauntlet on her right arm that had a red jewel on the dorsal side of her hand. But the most alarming part was that several thin red tentacles were emerging from the gauntlet, and they were already coiled around the woman's body from her her legs to her head. The tentacles were waving around as if they were alive, and looked as if they were going to continue coiling around her until she resembled a mummy.

"Hold on!" shouted Naruto, as he ran towards the woman, withdrawing a kunai from his pouch. His hand shot towards the strands that were obstructing her mouth and nose, and pulled as hard as he could. The tentacles had a cold metallic feel to them, and he felt small barbs dig into his palms, but he kept his grip strong. When he brought up his kunai up to cut them off, the woman's muffled screams and struggling renewed in vigor, which in turn made the tentacles move more erratically.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! I'm trying to help you! Just keep still, and I'll get these things off you!" he shouted, his blue eyes gazing into her hazel ones determinedly. Without waiting any longer, he pulled the bound tentacles far enough to allow for his kunai to safely cut away the obstruction, before he grabbed another mass coiled around her neck and chest and hacked it off as well before he repeated the action again and again.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you! Oh, thank you!" exclaimed the hysterical woman in between frightened sobs. Yet despite her fright, she saw a small glimmer of hope as she watched Naruto hack away at her binds. But that glimmer was immediately extinguished once she spotted a stray tentacle snake its way behind her savior and poise itself similar to a king cobra that was about to strike.

"LOOK OUmmph!" was all that she managed to say before a fresh group of tentacles coiled around her mouth to prevent her from warning the blonde of the danger. The muffled noise did, however, alert Naruto of the woman's predicament.

"Oh shit, not again! Just bare with me, I'll get it off ya!" Naruto's right hand made to rip the thin strand-like tentacles of the woman's face once again, which was exactly the moment that the poised tentacle was waiting for. Without a sound, it struck at surprisingly high speeds, the spear-tipped end piercing through Naruto's wrist before it ripped through the other side and coiled itself around his arm, just stopping beneath his elbow.

"ARGH! Son of a bitch!" His arm felt as if it had been submerged in molten steel. Naruto tried to pull the foreign red substance off, but before he could even touch it another tentacle coiled itself around his other hand, keeping it away from his arm. Soon enough, the tentacles began to wrap around the blonde's body at a rapid pace, until he was in a similar situation as the woman he was trying to save. Naruto could barely move as more and more tentacles encompassed his entire body, the pain increasing exponentially with each passing second. The last thing that he recalled before he lost consciousness was looking into the woman's frightened eyes and faintly hearing a baby crying behind him. Neither of the two victims noticed the red gemstone on the woman's arm crack and a fragment broke away from the gauntlet, before the stone restored itself to its original pristine condition. Nor did they notice the free fragment morph into orange-yellow orb, before it placed itself on Naruto's own wrist.

**M.o.t.B. **

'_Wh-What the hell? What caused me to black o__ut?_' where the first thoughts of the whiskered blonde as he slowly regained consciousness and his vision slowly cleared itself. '_But whatever it was, it obviously wasn't strong enough to take me out,-...wait a minute, just who am I? I can't...I can't remember! Oh shit, I've forgotten my own name!'_ That thought alone got the blonde reinvigorated as he quickly shot up in an upright position. But in doing so, he unintentionally flexed his right arm, sending a sharp jolt of pain through the limb. Looking down to see what was the cause of the mild discomfort, he was shocked to see blood slowly dripping from wounds on both sides of his wrist. It looked as if the injury was nearly healed, but it still pained him whenever he moved his hand.

"OW! Damn it, how did this happen?" He was about to try and apply pressure to the injury to try and lessen the pain when he felt something fall off his forehead and land on the ground with a clatter. Looking down, he saw that it was some sort of long black cloth. In the center of it was a rectangular metal plate that had a spiral-like leaf design etched into it. Picking it up and turning it around in his hands, he noticed that there was a small message inscribed on the back of the cloth, where the leaf pattern would be on the front side of plate.

"_If found, please return this to Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage of Konohagakure._ Naruto Uzumaki? Is that my name?" the now identified Naruto wondered aloud. '_And just what the hell is a fire shadow anyways?_' All the same, he pocketed the weird trinket, considering that it was currently the only clue he had to his identity. As he stood up to get a better idea of where exactly he was, he got a better look at his outward appearance for the first time. '_Open-ended sandals, a dirty black T-shirt, a __battered orange and black jacket, and __**orange pants**__? Why in the world am I wearing orange pants? __And-what the, a __**shuriken holster**__? Just what the hell am I? And what was...I...doing...here?'_ Naruto's thoughts ground to a halt the moment he saw the area surrounding him. From the way the walls of rubble were strewn around him, to the fact that the ground he was standing on was the floor of a small crater, the entire scene gave off the impression that he was at ground zero from where a bomb had went off. But that couldn't have been what had happened, otherwise he wouldn't be alive.

As he continued to theorize on what had happened, he heard the sound of a baby crying somewhere close to his position. For reasons he couldn't understand, it seemed faintly familiar. Racing towards the origin of the sound, he saw there was indeed a crying baby laying on the ground. From the pink blanket that was wrapped around its body, it was easy enough to determine the baby's gender. A few feet away from the infant was a young, brown haired woman that was face down on the ground. Already fearing the worst possible outcome, Naruto was quickly by the woman's side, his index and middle fingers pressed against the spot where her jugular vein was. He gave a small sigh of relief when he felt a slow and steady pulse push against his fingers. That relief was short lived, as the baby's cries continued.

"Hey. Hey, miss." He nudged her shoulder to try and stir the woman awake. "Miss, are you alright? Can you hear me?" His efforts were rewarded with a murmur from the woman, and he saw that her eyelids began to twitch. "Miss, you have to wake up! Your baby needs y-"

Almost instantly, the young woman shot up and raced towards the crying babe, knocking Naruto to the ground in the process. Whilst she was attempting to calm the distressed infant, Naruto managed to get a better look at the woman. She seemed to be about an inch shorter than him, and looked about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her brown hair was in a short cut style with bangs that framed her face, but he noticed that the hair on the back of her head was long enough that it reached the middle of her neck. He found it odd how the two strands of hair stood out on the top, making them look like a seagull flying in the horizon. She had the very definition of an "hourglass figure": large B/mid C cup breasts, a thin waist, and well-rounded hips. Her sleeveless blouse and mini-skirt were just as ragged and weathered as his own clothes were, which made him realize that she was possibly with him at ground zero of whatever disaster had struck. Deciding to hold off on asking if she knew what had happened for a later date, his attention refocused on the woman that was trying in vain to soothe the baby's crying. From her expression, it looked as if she was becoming more frantic by each passing second.

"Um, excuse me, miss?" The woman's attention quickly turned towards him, her hazel eyes locking onto him. Her stance shifted slightly, as if she were preparing to run off at any moment.

"W-who are you? What do you want?" she asked with an edge. She unconsciously pressed the wailing babe closer to herself in a protective manner.

Naruto placed his hands in front of him in a placating manner, just to show her that he wasn't going to hurt them. "Hey now, I mean you two no harm, miss. If I wanted to, I could have ended your life whilst you were still unconscious." The fearful look the young mother displayed made Naruto realize that he probably shouldn't have said that last statement.

"That doesn't answer my questions. Who are you, and what do you want?" she repeated.

"Well, first of all, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, or at least I think it is. And secondly, I couldn't help but notice that you were having some trouble with your baby, and I thought that you might want some help?"

The woman's eyes narrowed at him. "Why would you want to help me? I've never seen or heard of you until now, and you just so happen to be around _here_? How do I know that you're not going to try and pull something the moment I hand you this baby?"

Naruto's expression turned somber. He didn't understand why, but hearing the baby's cries brought up a torrent of emotions within him. Brief, but blurry images bombarded his mind, all of them depicting a large crowd gathered in front of a small boy with blonde hair. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but he could tell that the group of adults were glaring hateful at the boy, who was crying pitifully by himself. The vision felt so familiar, but he couldn't think of a reason why.

"I can't explain why, but I just can't bear to hear a child cry. To me, it's the saddest sound ever imaginable." he answered solemnly, the woman's gaze softening somewhat. "Besides, I can tell from your posture and your tone that you could use a little break right about now." And like magic, the scrutinizing gaze was back. "Look, I just want to help the two of you out. I swear on my life that I will not cause any harm to the baby, alright?" The mother gazed intently at Naruto, as if she were trying to stare into his soul and search for any trace of ill-intent. Yet with each passing second of listening to the fussy baby cry, she could literally feel her already frazzled endurance and patience grinding away. Finally, with a sigh of defeat, she slowly approached the blonde. When she was about an inch away from him, she slowly and carefully held the baby out for him. Naruto moved in cautiously to take the baby girl into his own arms, but was surprised when he felt the woman grasp his jacket sleeve in a strong grip and jerk him closer to her.

"I'll be watching you the whole time you're holding her. If I see you doing _anything_ to hurt her, I'll make sure that the rescue teams never find your body, got it?" Her low tone promised pain and suffering, making Naurto involuntarily shudder.

"I-I understand." said Naruto, trying to be as calm as possible so as not to upset the baby even further. Satisfied with his answer, the woman reluctantly released her hold.

"Shhh, it's okay, little one. Don't cry, don't cry. Everything's going to be alright." he said as softly as he could, whilst slowly rocking the babe back and forth in calm, gentle sways. At first the woman was unimpressed with Naruto's actions, as she watched him continue his soft whisperings and gentle rocking. She was about to demand that he give her back the baby, when she noticed the infant's cries began to quell, until gradually they stopped completely.

"There, that's a lot better, isn't it?" cooed Naruto, to which the baby just giggled in response.

"How did you do that?" asked the woman, disbelievingly. "I was doing the exact same thing you were doing, and yet you managed to calm her in mere seconds! What's your secret?"

Naruto adopted a thoughtful expression before he finally shrugged. "I dunno, exactly. I guess I have a way with kids, or something like that? Or, maybe this little one could tell how stressed you were. I mean, from what I've seen from you, you seem like your a kind person, and it looked like you were doing everything right. I guess the reason she was so fussy was because she was really spooked by what happened here, and your panicked state just made here feel more stressed. But she seems fine now, do you want her back?"

The woman nodded. As she walked back towards Naruto to take the baby back into her arms, with Naruto reminding her to keep calm so as not to distress the infant, she was soon cradling the new life in her arms once again. Except this time, the baby girl wasn't crying. Instead, she was gazing curiously up at the young woman.

"Thank you for your help, Naruto. And, I'm sorry that I came off as a bit antagonistic earlier." she said sincerely.

Naurto just smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it. You were just being a good mother, looking out for your baby. I was happy to help, Ms...Ms...oh geez, this is embarrassing. I don't think that I got your name, or your baby's name for that matter." said Naruto sheepishly.

The woman's expression quickly turned depressed, instantly catching Naruto's attention. "I...I...I can't remember my name. I don't even know how I got here, let alone this baby's name. Hell, I don't even know if she's even mine."

Naruto was about to apologize for bringing the matter up, when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was near the same exact spot that he had first seen the baby, and it was covered by chunks of rocks and concrete. Knocking away the rubble, the object was revealed to be small, pink notebook.

"What's this?" Naruto said to himself. The woman, having overheard Naruto, looked at what the blonde was holding before something clicked in her mind.

"That looks like a maternity diary! Maybe it belongs to this little girl." she suggested, as she stepped closer to look over his shoulder. His curiosity stoked, he opened the book and read its contents aloud.

"According to what's written, this diary is for a Rihoko Amaha." said Naruto, as he briefly gazed at the baby. "And it also says that Rihoko's mother is Masane Amaha. Huh, that's strange, it doesn't list who her father is. "

"Masane...Amaha...that sounds so familiar. Is...is that _my name_? And does that make Rihoko...my daughter?"

"Well,...maybe. You and Rihoko _were_ about a few feet away from each other when I came here. And when you woke up, your very first action was to check and see if Rihoko was alright, just like any parent would."

"But, shouldn't I at least _remember _Rihoko's name if I'm her mother? I can't even remember my own name, and I'm not sure if it's even _Masane_!" the woman said, almost scaring the Rihoko once again.

"Hey, hey, settle down! I wasn't saying that you _are_ Masane Amaha, I'm just saying that the current situation heavily _hints_ that you are. I mean, I can't think of any other reason why Rihoko would be out here all on her own. Unless,...you don't think that her real mother,...just abandoned her, do you?"

The face the woman made showed him what she thought of that idea. "I don't even want to think about that! Just the thought of a parent leaving their baby to die, it's...it's just too cruel! I want to believe that I'm Rihoko's mother, but at the same time I don't think that I can be the mother that she needs. I mean, look at me! I do I _really_ look like I'm cut out to be a mother?" The woman's voice was growing increasingly desperate, and she looked as if she were close to tears.

"I do." said Naruto, making her eyes snap to him. "I think that you would make a great mother. You've already proven that you're dedicated, loving, and protective over little Rihoko. I believe those are qualities that every mother should have."

"But...but what if Rihoko's real mother is still out there? What if-"

"Then to hell with her!" interrupted Naruto, surprising the woman. "If she allowed herself to become separated from Rihoko, especially during this disaster, then she doesn't deserve to be her mother! Parents should always put the safety and needs of their children before their own, only leaving them when it's the only way to protect them. And if this woman thought that leaving Rihoko out in this wasteland would _protect_ her, then she's got no right to be a parent! All that I know is that right now, _you_ are the only one that Rihoko can depend on." Naruto cupped the woman's cheek, making the woman look into his eyes as he gently brushed his finger underneath her eye to wipe away the lone tear. "As far as I'm concerned, you _are _Rihoko's real mother. You _are_ Masane Amaha. So don't be so quick to doubt yourself, alright?"

Masane just stood there, stunned at hearing Naruto speak so passionately. She didn't know what to say. After all, she had just met this Naruto character only a minute ago. And if that wasn't enough, it seemed that he too had lost nearly all his old memories, with his name being the only exception. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him like a moth to a flame. It was as if he were radiating with confidence, and just being around him brightened her outlook on things. In the end, she just couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Naruto. I guess I needed that pep talk to get me thinking straight." said Masane.

He smiled in return, making Masane think of a fox. "Don't worry about it. We amnesiacs have to stick together, right?" A sudden noise brought their attention to the bundle Masane held in her arms. The day's events seemed to have been too much for Rihoko to handle, as she yawned and promptly fell asleep. Her actions were just so adorable that both Naruto and Masane couldn't help but let out a quiet "aaawwwww" at the baby's actions. As Masane readjusted her grip on Rihoko, Naruto took notice of the bleeding injury that was on her right wrist, and the small trickle of blood that ran down her forehead.

"Hey, Masane, what happened to you? How did you get those injuries?" he asked, while gesturing to the bleeding areas using his own body. Shifting Rihoko so that she could free her right arm, she gingerly touched her forehead and felt something wet and sticky making contact with her finger. Pulling back the digit, she saw that blood was smeared on her fingertip. It also gave her a chance to notice the bleeding wound that was on her wrist. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed them earlier, and wondered just how she had gotten them. She was quickly brought out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of tearing fabric in front of her. Looking up, she saw that Naruto had ripped off one the sleeves of his T-shirt into three strips, before he wrapped one around her wounded wrist, securing it with a simple knot.

"Wait, Naruto, you don't need to do that!" protested Masane. Naruto just ignored her as he used the second strip to wipe the trail of blood off her forehead.

"Look, don't worry about it. This thing's already ripped up, so it might as well be used for more important things." he said, before he used the last cloth to wrap around his own bleeding wrist. Masane just stared at the cloth on her wrist, before she smiled once again.

'_Well, he certainly knows how to treat a lady. Not to mention he's kinda cute, especially with those whisker marks.'_ she thought, blushing slightly once she realized that she thought a person she had just met was cute. '_I guess I'm pretty lucky that I came across Naruto._' Suddenly, they heard a loud commotion from up in the sky, growing louder and louder with each second. A sudden gust of wind blew through the area, followed by a bright light that shined down on them. As soon as Masane's eyes refocused from the sudden burst of light, she saw to her relief that it was a rescue chopper that was undoubtedly looking for survivors. She looked towards her fellow survivor, but was perplexed as to why Naruto looked panicked, as if he were seeing something horrible.

"What the hell is that thing?" he shouted, pointing a shaking a finger at the flying vehicle. Masane looked from Naruto, to the helicopter in the air, then back at Naruto.

"You mean the helicopter?" she asked, innocently.

"Helicopter?! Is that what it's called? How the hell is it staying the air like that?!" His tone was more panic-stricken than what she had expected, and he even began to tremble as the copter began to descend to a lower altitude.

'_He doesn't know what a helicopter is? Man, his amnesia must be even worse than mine._' thought Masane, as she led the frightened Naruto closer to the helicopter, all the while assuring him that the vehicle wasn't going to hurt him in any way.

**M.o.t.B. **

After an embarrassing helicopter ride, in which Masane had held his hand in order to help put him at ease, Naruto found himself at a large relief center that was teaming with medical and rescue personnel, as well as survivors. From what he gathered, a massive earthquake had struck in the middle of this country called Japan, killing several thousands of people as well as injuring several hundreds more and causing massive property damage everywhere. The very relief center that he was staying with Masane was actually a large shopping center, as the hospital in the area wasn't big enough to fit the scores of people that needed medical attention.

Currently, Masane and Rihoko were be attending to by one of the many doctors that were bustling about. They were in a little room that was part of the building structure, which had been set up specifically for women to have physical examinations and to address any injuries that they might have sustained. Naruto, who already had a doctor examine him, was leaning up against one of the room's outer walls, waiting for Masane and Rihoko to be cleared. As he waited, his mind kept replaying the scenes of total devastation that he had seen from the helicopter, and the sight of seeing so many people with more severe injuries when he had first entered. It just seemed too surreal to the blonde, almost like a massive war had recently taken place.

The sound of footsteps brought him back to reality and saw two stern looking policemen, the same two he had seen earlier when he and Masane were first interviewed by the head of the center, making their way towards him. But judging by their strides and the scowls on their face, he had a feeling that they weren't coming to have a friendly chat with him.

"You, come with us." said the lead officer.

Naruto blinked in surprise, not expecting the policemen to be so straight forward. "Um, excuse me?"

The guard's frown deepened. "Didn't you hear me? I said come with us, now."

"...Did I do something wrong, sir?"

This time it was the second officer that spoke up. "Don't ask stupid questions! Just come with us, right now!"

Warning bells began to go off inside Naruto's head. Something didn't seem right with the way the guards were acting. "Well, you can you at least tell me _why_ I'm being called away? I want to at least let my friend in there know that the police need me for something." he said, as he gestured to where Masane was.

The head officer scowled, an action which was mirrored by his fellow policeman. "As if _you_ have the right to even speak to her."

"What was that?" growled Naruto, his mood souring greatly, and his patience with the two wearing dangerously thin.

"You heard me, _punk_! Japan has experienced a natural disaster from which we've never seen before. Our medics and emergency provisions are already being pushed to the limit, and there could be hundreds more survivors out there, waiting to be helped. We don't need some damn, free-loading _**gaijin**_ wasting our valuable time and resources that could be used to help other people that truly deserve it!"

"What?" roared Naruto. He didn't understand what a "gaijin" was, but he had a feeling that it was meant to be an insult.

The second officer marched up to him, a sneer plastered on his face as he looked at Naruto with disdain. "Don't bullshit us, _**gaijin**_. Tanned skin, blonde hair, blue eyes? Why, you're practically the poster boy for gaijins everywhere. Judging on your appearance I'd wager that you're either some alcoholic, self-righteous German, or an arrogant American pig! Hell, I bet you came all the way from America just because of your _**manga**_ or _**hentai**_ addiction, since according to you Americans, those are the _only_ good things that _our _country produce! Kami, you damn _**weeaboos**_ all make me sick, prancing about in your cosplay outfits, reenacting fight scenes from video games in front of company buildings, thinking that you're _embracing_ _our culture_ or some other bullshit!"

Naruto's anger finally snapped. He already had enough on his plate, what with the loss of his memories, and he did not need to deal with these two bigoted officers as well. "Now you listen here, you asshole! I am not a gaijin, or weeaboo, or whatever you think I am! You have no right to waltz up here to yell in my face and treat me like shit just because of my looks. And if you two _really_ cared about helping the citizens, then why the _fucking hell_ are you two wasting time trying to accuse me of being something I'm not, when you could be out assisting others that truly need help?"

That seemed to only make the officers angrier, as the one in front of him grabbed him roughly by the front of his shirt. "Don't you _**dare**_ lecture us on how to do our jobs, _**gaijin**_! You shouldn't even be here, you damn parasite! And if you _are _Japanese, then where's your identification? You know, like a driver's license, student I.D card, the sort of things that show that you belong here? Oh, that's right! You conveniently _lost _them, as well as most of your memories! Do you really expect us to believe that sort of crap?!" snarled the officer.

The other policeman just smirked darkly at the blonde, as he took out a pair of handcuffs and showed them to Naruto in a taunting manner. "Well, don't worry, we're going to take care of you, personally. We got a nice little cell bunker with your name on it, down at the station, _**gaijin**_. So if I were you, I'd get re-"

"HEY! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING?" interrupted an enraged, feminine voice. Looking towards the entrance of the enclosed section, they saw one Masane Amaha, looking extremely pissed off. She had a swath of bandages wrapped around her injured wrist, and a square cloth patch held against her forehead by adhesive medical tape. Rihoko was in her arms, miraculously still asleep despite Masane's shouting. Behind her stood the physician, looking very displeased at the police officers. "Well, answer me! What the hell are you two doing to him?"

The officer holding the handcuffs stepped in front of his partner, obstructing Masane's view of Naruto, and smiled at the young woman in friendly manner. "Ma'am, this is a matter of national security, nothing for you to worry about. Please, go back inside, my partner and I-"

"Actually, I too would like an explanation." interrupted a cool monotone voice from behind the amassed group. Turning to his right, Naruto saw a tall man with graying hair and dark brown eyes standing before them. He wore dead serious expression on his face, and was clad in a formal police uniform. The imposing front that this man gave off made Naruto tense, but the two policemen seemed to be outright terrified at the mere sight of the newcomer.

"S-S-S-Superintendent! What are you doing here?" asked the officer that was still holding onto Naruto's jacket. He flinched when the superintendent's gaze shot towards him and his partner, making their trembling increase.

"I was making my rounds, inspecting how my men are handling the security of this relief center, when I heard a loud and unruly commotion. Yet when I went to investigate, I end up finding _you two_ at the center of the disturbance, _yet again_! So I am only going to ask you two once: what the hell is going on here?"

"_I'll _tell you what's going on!" interjected Masane, before the either of the officers could utter a word. "These two _racist pigs _were harassing this man whilst I was being treated. I heard everything through the door, they were calling him a _**gaijin**_ and other racial slurs just because he had blonde hair and blue eyes! The were planning on arresting him on the grounds of being in this country illegally, all because he doesn't look like the stereotypical Japanese man!"

"It's true, sir. I was treating Ms. Amaha when I heard these two scoundrels trying to apprehend this man. Their behavior has been absolutely despicable." added the female doctor.

"Is that so?" said the superintendent, his eyes focusing onto the two cops once again, who were quaking in their shoes. His eyes quickly shifted over to Naruto, taking in his appearance, before he turned his attention back to Masane. "To be honest, he doesn't exactly look like he's from around here at first glance. Tell me, do you know this man on a personal level, ma'am?"

"Of course I do. His name his Naruto Uzumaki, he was with me the entire time from when we were lost at the damaged East sector, to when we were rescued. He's also the father of my daughter, Rihoko." she finished with the utmost certainty. Naruto was surprised with Masane's declaration, but decided not to voice his uncertainty about his relation to Rihoko when he caught the slight twitch of her head, a subtle message telling him to go along with her story. Fortunately for the duo, the superintendent missed their little interaction, as his focus was centered on the two officers. Said cops looked as if they were going to piss themselves from the fierce look their superior officer was shooting them.

"Officer Saizo, release Mr. Uzumaki at once." The man's tone was cold and emotionless, yet was able to convey how infuriated he was at the same time.

Saizo's partner, however, still didn't fully understand the amount trouble they were in. "B-but sir, you can't honestly b-"

"Shut your mouth, Katanabe, before I permanently shut it for you! You and your partner have brought nothing but dishonor to our precinct with your constant racism! The both of you were transferred from your old precinct because you falsely imprisoned an American tourist under the allegations of being a spy! A SPY! Do you know bad that makes our country's police force look? Or how that affects Japan's international relationships as a whole?! Do you?! And yet here you two are, trying to arrest yet another innocent person just because he fits your despicable racial profile!" The uniformed officer's smoldering glare then shot back to Saizo. "Saizo! Why are you still clutching at Mr. Uzumaki's shirt?! Get your filthy hands off of him before I have you incarcerated for abuse of authoritative power and insubordination!"

Saizo's hands quickly released Naruto's shirt as if he were touching hot coals, before he fell in line with Katanabe. By now, both officers were standing ramrod straight at attention as their superior continued to glare at them. He turned away from them briefly to give a deep bow to Naruto. "I apologize profusely for what my _subordinates_ have put you through, Mr. Uzumaki. Please do not think that these fools speak for the entire police force of Japan, nor that we condone such hateful beliefs. I assure you, these two will be punished _**severely**_ for their actions."

"I'll be sure to hold you to that." said Naruto tightly. He could tell that the superintendent meant every word, but he was still angry with how the country's public servants had treated him. So instead, he allowed Masane to lead him away, as the superintendent began to give Katanabe and Saizo a verbal tongue lashing they would never forget.

"Are you alright? Those two didn't hurt you, did they?" asked Masane, once she was sure that they were far away from the police.

Naruto just sent her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine. You actually came in right on time before that prick-"

"Hey, watch the language! Don't curse in front of the baby!" interjected Masane, giving his ear a quick flick.

"Ow! But she's asleep!"

"Doesn't matter! I don't want Rihoko picking up those kinds of words from your potty mouth!"

"Right, sorry, sorry. You came in right on time before that _jerk_ could cuff me. Are the police here really this aggressive, or I'm just a special case? They seemed to be really out to get me for some reason."

Masane just stared at him incredulously for a moment, before she had to remind herself that some cases of amnesia were more severe than others. "Well, it may be because of the color of your hair and eyes, Naruto. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the average Japanese man doesn't naturally have blue eyes or blonde hair. In fact, if it weren't for your dialect, I would have guessed that you were an American. Not that it's a bad thing or anything! It's just that the Japanese have a strong sense of patriotism, and some of them aren't that open-minded to people that are of a different nationality or at least look like they are, especially when it comes to marriage. If a Japanese person were to marry someone from a different country, for example, then the couple would sometimes be looked down upon by their peers."

"Wow, that sounds pretty racist if you ask me. So, where do _you_ stand on the matter?"

"Well, personally, I could really care less about a person's nationality, just so long as they're kind and friendly people. And if two people with differing national backgrounds marry each other, I say that as long it's two people that care about each other, more power to them. Ethnicity shouldn't be the deciding factor on whom you fall in love with. " she said with total conviction.

"Nice to know that you're not one of those traditional _stick-in-the-mud_s." said Naruto, before a short awkward silence settled in between them. "So, uh, what was deal back there?"

"What are you talking about?"

Naruto just quirked an eyebrow as he looked at Masane. "I'm talking about when you said to that superintendent that I was your baby's daddy." He had to admit, seeing Masane blush and act all flustered made her look really cute. And for some reason, her behavior seemed to remind him of someone else that acted in a similar manner.

"Well, you see...I mean...that is...I had to come up with something convincing so that they would back off. And I just figured that if I told them that you were Rihoko's father, then they wouldn't really look into your case." she explained.

Naruto just gazed at her, surprised that she would willingly go to such lengths to help him. "Well, thank you for helping me back there. To tell you the truth, I never took you as the type person that would willingly lie to the police."

Masane suddenly looked down at her feet, confusing the blonde. "Um, well, would it really be a bad thing if you _were_ Rihoko's father?" she said, her voice almost a whisper. That immediately got Naruto's full attention, his eyes widening at what he heard .

"Wh-What did you say?"

"I said, would you really be against being Rihoko's father?" she asked again, looking into his eyes in a pleading manner. Before he could answer, she spoke again. "I know that I'm sounding very demanding asking you this, and that I'm practically dropping this huge responsibility on you without any warning, but I could really use your help. Even though I'm her mother, there's only so much that I can do. She needs a father in her life. I mean, you don't really have any idea on what you're going to do now, especially since you've lost most of your memories, right? Well, why not stay with us? Who knows, maybe you'll be able to regain what you've lost if you stay. And besides, if the cops see that you're with a family, then they won't think that you're some sort of illegal immigrant or some lost tourist. Please, I know that I have no right asking all of this from you, but could you at the very least consider the possibility?"

Naruto was stunned into silence. Sure, what Masane was asking of him seemed demanding, but for reasons unexplainable, he couldn't find the will to be angry with her. And once again, visions of the small boy being shunned and glared at by the mob of adults and older kids flooded his mind. But then, those images were replaced by one that showed the same boy watching at a distance as families celebrated some sort of ceremony outside of what looked like a school building. Again, he felt a strong sense of nostalgia from the mental image, but he couldn't understand why. Maybe what Masane suggested could be true, maybe if he stayed with them, he could get back the memories that he had lost. But then, doubt began to claw its way into his mind. He didn't know anything about being parent, let alone if he even had any when he was a kid. How could someone like him be capable of raising a child, especially if he hardly had any grasp of his own identity.

"But why me?" he asked in a small voice that must have sounded completely out of character for him. "Out of all the people here, Masane, why would you want _me _to be Rihoko's father? I mean, I practically have no memory of what my life was like before I met you. Aside from my own name, I don't know which city I was born in, the type of people I was friends with, or whether or not I even had parents to begin with. For Kami's sake, I thought that the helicopter was some kind of _monster_! I could be some sort of insane psychopath for all I know! There are so many other guys better suited than me to help you and Rihoko, so why would you even want me of all people to be your baby's father?"

Masane just gazed at him for a brief moment, before she smiled. "Because you were the only one that was there when we needed help. You calmed down Rihoko when I couldn't. You kept me from losing my head when I was about to have a panic attack. You gave me the confidence to be Rihoko's mother, when I was still thinking about giving her to the orphanage the first chance I got. A _real_ psychopath wouldn't have bothered helping us. Naruto, despite what you may think of yourself, I can tell that you're a kind person."

"But what if that's just the amnesia affecting me? This _Mr. Nice Guy_ personality could be just some false persona that I-OW!" Naruto really didn't expect that finger flick to his forehead, nor for her to be that fast.

"Are you even listening to yourself? It's like you can't take a compliment or something! Stop beating yourself up over nothing! I can tell that you're a good person, and so can Rihoko. IF you were as bad as you say you are, then she would have been bawling her eyes out like crazy. Plus, she already seems to have taken a liking to you, and you wouldn't want to just leave after making such an impression on her, would you? And it's like you said before, _we amnesiacs have to stick together_, right?"

Naruto was taken aback at having his own words used on him. He could feel the barriers that he had put up gradually deteriorate from Masane's constant verbal bombardments. And it didn't really help him keep his resolve that he just seemed to get caught in those deep pools of hazel that were her eyes. Truth be told, he actually felt at ease whenever he was around her, as if his resolve was strengthened ten fold, and he could face anything that he encountered with her by his side. But, he thought he should still give her one last warning before he made his decision.

"You know, you could be taking a very huge risk with me, one that you might later regret." he said solemnly.

Masane only smiled, as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There are always risks in life, it's all a matter of finding those that are worth taking. And from what I've seen, _you're_ definitely worth the risk." Before Naruto could reply, a small yawn was heard coming from Masane's arm. Looking down at the where the source of the noise came from, Naruto saw that Rihoko had finally woken up, and was staring at him owlishly. Smiling, Naruto bent down so that he was closer to the baby's face.

"Hey there, little Rihoko. Looks like I'm going to be your new daddy! What do you think about that, hm?" he asked softly, to which Rihoko merely giggled. Naruto smiled as he got back to his feet, facing a smiling Masane once again. "So, it look likes I'll be sticking around with the two of you from now on, huh?"

Masane smirked playfully at the blonde. "It sure does, whiskers." Naruto frowned slightly at the nickname, before he broke into a small chuckle at Masane's choice of a nickname. So what if he couldn't remember his old life? At least he wouldn't have to recover from his amnesia alone.

_To Be Continued... _

**M.o.t.B. **

**HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Okay, the prologue is finally done. I really didn't think that it would be this hard to write. You all may ask why I had decided to start yet another series, when I barely update my other ones at all? Well, the idea sorta really popped up in my head after I saw a couple of episodes of the WITCHBLADE series. And while I liked the series as a whole, I was still upset at the main heroine's fate, as well as a few other characters. I had read a few good Naruto x Witchblade crossovers, such as _"Clashing Blades"_, _"Witchblade Sakura"_, "_Witchblade Arrival of the Jinchuriki Adopted"_, _Blade of the Kitsune",_ and_ "The Blades Acension"_. But after reading _"Sword of the King and Queen"_ by author Forgottenwriter, the first crossover of these two series that I've ever read, it left a strong impression on me, both good and bad. I mean, I'm sure that this crossover is an unusual one to write about, and that he tried his best, but the way FW wrote was just too painful to read. Calling the toad summons frogs and then reptiles, the horrible grammar, the jumbled up phrases, it was just too much. **

**So, I decided to try my hand at it, and see what I could do. I was mainly influenced by Forgottenwriter's stories, but this is my own spin on this crossover. So, take it as you the readers see it. Don't forget to Read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Masters of the Blades **

**Hello everyone! Okay, so now we are going to take the final plunge into the beginning of this crossover. Brace yourselves. I wish that I owned NARUTO and WITCHBLADE, but I don't. **

**Chapter 1 **

_**Six Years Later**_

**M.o.t.B.**

Anarchy. Chaos. Disarray. This was what it always felt like whenever he slept. Thousands of voices talking loudly at the same time, image after image flashing through his mind. What little he could decipher from the jumbled mess that were his dreams sounded strangely familiar, as if he should've remembered them for some reason or another. Occasionally, he was blessed with relaxing, blissful tranquility as he slept, but these instances didn't occur as often as he had hoped. Nonetheless, he preferred the anarchy over the nightmares that seemed to sporadically come about more frequently, much to his chagrin. Whereas the chaotic noise was bearable at best, the night terrors always left him mentally exhausted, and somewhat reluctant to fall back to sleep.

The worst part was that every single one of his nightmares, including the one he was having right now, all depicted the same scenario time and time again. It started off with him appearing as a seven-year-old, in some weird village that looked as if it belonged in ancient times, yet for some strange reason, he could see electrical wires throughout the area. The laughter of children echoed all around him, but it seemed louder in the area in front of him. He would always try to find out exactly who or what was making the noise, and every single time, that was when all hell broke loose. The scene would twist and contort until the sunny and cheerful environment was replaced with one more dark and foreboding. Night would replace day, as usual, and the large mob of glaring adults would surround him without any warning. They were always armed, whether it was with garden tools or actual weapons. A few of the mobsters were wearing green vests that had pockets on their front, and wore a metal-plated headband that was similar to his on their heads; these were the worst members of the mob as they were actually armed with knives and swords! It didn't matter what the people were armed with for they were all used to mercilessly beat him into a bloody pulp, just like they always did, all the while spewing out hateful words such as "**demon**", "**abomination**", or "**murderer**". That just left him completely confused; why would a group of adults call a child such despicable names, let alone form a lynch mob trying to kill said child? Before the leader of the mob could strike the final blow, the entire scene blurred into darkness, until his vision restored to a completely different scene.

This time he found himself as a twelve-year-old, dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit of all things, and standing in some sort of secluded clearing that was surrounded by trees. In front of him were three wooden posts embedded in the ground. This new scenario was somewhat new, as it was the second most frequent image that occurred in his nightmares. And once again, his solitude was abruptly interrupted, by eleven blurry figures that were about his height, surrounding him. Further away, there were four adult sized blurs standing together, as if they were observing the other blurs and himself.

"Why do you have to be so troublesome?" drawled a lazy male voice, coming from one of the smaller blurs.

"Tch, yeah, everything goes wrong whenever _you're_ around." snarked another male's voice, sounding quite arrogant.

"Kami, you're such a useless idiot!" This time it was a female's voice, and one that was very loud.

"Fate has determined that you will always amount to nothing." called another male's voice that was somehow even more arrogant than the last one.

"YOU BAKA! Why must you always ruin everything for me? I wish that you'd leave and never come back!" screamed another female's voice, being the loudest one he's heard so far. And for some unexplainable reason, that exclamation seemed to have hurt more than all the rest

"Hn, just accept the facts, _dobe_. You'll never be able to surpass me. You will always be seen as the pitiful dead-last that you are, compared to an elite such as myself." Now he was starting to lose patience. He had no clue as to who these people were, or how they knew him, but they were starting to really piss him off.

"His flames of youth burn brightly, but he's seriously lacking as far as the basics are considered." said one of the adult-sized blurs. The 'flames of youth' comment took him by surprise; just who the hell talks like that?

"I'm actually surprised that he made it this far, considering just how pitiful his scores were in the academy." said the second adult blur. Like the first one, its voice hinted that it was a male. His eyebrow twitched at hearing the harsh criticism, as an unexplainable feeling of resentment began to burn.

"Just what were they thinking, allowing him to graduate? As he is right now, he'd be nothing but a liability to his teammates and himself." This time it was a woman's voice that came from one of the blurs. The way it sounded so condescending towards him made his blood boil. Who did she think she was, talking down to him in such a manner? But it was the final male voice's comment that proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

"Never before have I had the displeasure of being responsible for such a disappointing student." What little self-restraint he had left was torn to shreds like wet tissue paper. Hearing such arrogant dismissals from these faceless people was downright infuriating. Even if he _did _know them from somewhere, he wouldn't have allowed them to treat him as if he were trash. With an enraged roar, he charged towards the adult-sized blurs, intent on giving the four the beating of a lifetime. But as his fist was about to make contact, the blurs and the surrounding area disintegrated into dust, leaving nothing but a silent black void in its place. Everywhere he looked, he could see nothing be pitch-black darkness, with the only sound being his own agitated breathing.

Then, without warning, a massive jolt of excruciating pain exploded throughout his body, originating around the upper right side of his chest. The pain was so severe, that he felt his already limited vision begin to blur. Yet, despite the urge to allow unconsciousness to take over, he somehow knew that doing so would be the same as allowing whoever this new attacker was to finish him off for good. So, struggling against the agony with every fiber of his being, he managed to refocus his blurry eyesight enough so that he could see what attacked him. But when he finally got a good look, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Instead of a sword, a spear, or any other type of stabbing weapon, it was a human's arm that had pierced through his chest, punched a hole in his right lung, and exited his back. Tracing the arm back to its owner, he was met with the sight of a boy around his age. The stranger had black hair, was dressed in a blue high-collar shirt and white cargo shorts, and was holding him up by the collar of his jacket. Like the two earlier scenarios, the boy's facial features were blurred to the point that only his eyes and mouth were visible. But unlike the other dream specters, this boy was had a more demonic appearance. His mouth was set in a deranged smile, his eyes were glowing red, and the entire left side of his face was covered in black markings, giving off the illusion that the skin was decaying. With a quick jerk, the facially deformed boy yanked his arm out of his chest before the same arm clasped around his neck in an effort to strangle him to death.

"**How pathetic.**" boomed a deep voice. There, levitating above the homicidal boy, was a large red eye with a narrow black slit as its pupil. Surrounding the eye was a large, pulsating miasma that was dark red in color to the point that it was almost black. The dark surrounding energy was moving as if it were on fire. "**Even when the truth is before your eyes, you **_**still**_** prefer to delude yourself into believing in your fantasies. Just how long do you intend to ignore reality?**

Suddenly, the miasma expanded and began to 'burn' at a more erratic rate. The eye remained the same, but was accompanied by another eye similar in appearance, along with what looked like a snout filled with long, sharp teeth. The demon boy, and the injuries he caused, vanished as if they were never there, but that did nothing to lighten the situation. The beastly visage sneered down at him, its teeth glinting with malicious intent. "**Despite all of your boasts of strength and skills, you still end up humiliating yourself in front of your peers. You fail miserably at the simplest of tasks, constantly having to rely on others to come to your aid. It's only by relying on my might that you can actually stand a chance of accomplishing anything. And even with my aid, you **_**still**_** come up short! Stop fooling yourself with your idiotic fallacies. Accept the truth that you are **_**nothing **_**without me, and that any attempt to live without my power will lead to your destruction!**"

Before he could say anything to refute the demonic visage's claims, the miasma surrounding it expanded once again, the lower portion creeping towards the ground. As the pulsating red mass slithered towards to his position, he tried to get away but his body wasn't listening to his commands. He wanted to run, to get as far away from what every fiber of his being was telling him was the living embodiment of evil, yet it felt as if his legs were petrified. But just as the red mass was about to make contact, a bright red-orange flash erupted from his right wrist. The sudden action halted the aura's approach and even managed to cause it to retreat a short distance, but the burning pain shooting through his entire body made him wonder if the new phenomenon was any better than the red miasma. But the malevolent vermillion energy didn't stay still for long, as it surged forward in a second attempt to attack him. Yet, for some odd reason, the bright light provided some form of resistance against the invasive agent. Despite the interference, the blood red essence continued to fight against the light that prevented its movement, causing both entities to enter a dire stalemate, with neither force gaining any ground.

This new clashing of energies was the least of his troubles, as an intense burning sensation began to pool around his arm, before it quickly began travel down the limb towards the rest of his body. The pain was unbearable; it was like he was being submerged in molten lava. As the pain intensified, he thought that he could hear something that sounded like a child, but he only managed to hear it as a whisper.

"...ome on! Wa...up!" The whisper began to increase in volume, becoming more comprehensible with each syllable. Even with agonizing pain coursing through his entire being, he could make out that someone was calling him, someone...familiar.

"NARUTO!"

**M.o.t.B.**

"Come on, you guys, wake up! You both are going to miss seeing it." said a girl, exasperation clear in her tone. The child was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt that was underneath a blue tank top, a dark pink skirt, white socks that came up to her calves, and pink shoes. There were pink butterfly designs on the top and skirt, and she had black hair that reached to her lower neck, yet she had two thin strands of hair tied up into small pigtails. Her normally bright brown eyes were narrowed in slight agitation, focused on the two adults that were crouched down on the deck of the boat that they were all riding on, curled into a ball, still asleep and oblivious to their surroundings.

"Mom, wake up! You said that you just wanted to take a short nap so that you could be well rested when we reach New Tokyo!" said the girl, giving the woman's shoulder a nudge.

"Ugh...No more...stupid beat-boxing...chipmunk..." groaned the woman, "just let...sleep more."

"But Mom, you, ARGH! Sometimes you're impossible to deal with." The girl then turned to the man. "Daaaddd, Mom won't wake up! She's going to miss everything!" But the man remained still, showing how much of a heavy sleeper he was. Dismayed, the girl stared at the two adults, trying to will them awake with her stare alone. Both of them had a stubborn nature to them, especially when it came to sleep, but the girl wasn't discouraged in the slightest. After all, she had been through situations similar to the one she was currently experiencing plenty of times before. And she already knew what would finally awaken the two sleeping adults without fail.

"MASANE AND NARUTO!" she shouted. The effect was immediate, as the man and woman jumped in fright, finally awake.

"Ugh, Riko, was that really necessary?" asked the woman, as she stood up, stretching the stiffness out of her back. She was wearing a thick orange jacket, form-fitting jeans, and a pair of heeled shoes.

Rihoko (or Riko, for short) just smiled. "You told me that you wanted to see the sights before we got to New Tokyo, but you were sleeping like a log. And Dad was still sleeping, even though he said that he'd be awake half an hour ago. Besides, you promised to tell me about what Old Tokyo was like before the Great Quake, remember?"

Masane tried to think up of a comeback, but nothing came to her. "Alright, you got me there. But next time, but don't give up on the gentler approach so quickly, alright?" She then turned to the blonde man that was stretching his back to the point that audible creaks were heard. He was dressed in a black jacket, which was open to show that he was wearing a light orange shirt underneath. He also wore a pair of skinny black pants, and a pair of black converse sneakers. "And what's with you, Naruto? You've never been much of a deep sleeper; the sound of a pin dropping would've been enough to wake you up. You're not coming down with anything, are you?"

Naruto sent the brunette a small smile, as he stretched the stiffness out his arms. "Nah, I'm fine, Masane. I'm probably just tired from all of this traveling. Plus, this boat isn't really making things easier for me."

Masane smirked at the blonde. "Who had thunk that _The Great Naruto _would be done in by a small case of seasickness." she teased.

Naruto stared evenly at her, but his expression quickly shifted into a more devious one. "_Or_, my discomfort could stem from the fact that a certain _someone_ and their _bubble butt_ decided to use me as a temporary futon." He reveled in the shocked expression on her face and the spluttering sounds she made, before she sent a dangerous glare back at him.

"I'll have you know, _mister_, that I do _not _have a bubble butt! My behind is _well rounded_, thank you very much."

Naruto leered perversely, pulling into her into his arms. "Oh, believe me, it is _very_ well rounded." he said in low baritone voice, sending an excited chill down the woman's spine.

"You are such a perverted fox, you know that, right?" said Masane pointedly, lightly flicking him on the nose.

"Only when it comes to you, _vixen_." he whispered, causing Masane's grumpy facade to break apart, a smile forming on her beautiful visage as she allowed him to pull her flush against his body. Their lips were but inches apart when-

"Mom, Dad, come take a look at this!" shouted Rihoko. The two adults jolted apart, their moment abruptly disrupted. But the look that Masane gave him told him that they would resume where they had left off at a later time. As Naruto watched Masane go to see what Rihoko was talking about, the blonde couldn't help but reminisce on the past experiences they had shared, and what had brought the trio to their current situation.

Gone were the two shaken and unsure teenagers, and in their place stood two young adults. In the past six years, he had stretched to a startling height of six feet. His face had become more thin and angular, his hair still wild and spiky. He was also more muscular, something Masane didn't hesitate to point out, as a result of working on construction sites and other jobs that required heavy-lifting. One thing that remained constant for the blonde, however, was his exemplary reflexes and hand-to-hand combat abilities. He didn't know exactly how he had gotten them, but it made things easier for him whenever he got into tough situations, which happened more often than he would have liked since several Japanese citizens often had mistaken him for an American at first glance.

Masane had gone through several changes as well. The passage of time had made her even more beautiful than when she was a teenager, her still-growing figure becoming one that many women envied. Her breasts had grown to a large D-cup size, and her rounded hips had become even more defined; it took every ounce of self-restraint for Naruto not to blush or stare whenever he saw her. Unfortunately, Masane's beauty also garnered a lot of unwanted attention from other men as well. Her once shy attitude had become more playful and cheerful, but her stubbornness remained strong, which was more than enough to send any man that got too fresh with her packing. Together, they took care of and raised their daughter as best they could with their limited resources. At first, they had some trouble adjusting to parenthood, and they did have a few fights every now and then, but they always managed to forgive each other and resolve whatever problems they had

'_It's hard to believe that our little baby grew up into the little girl in front of me. I still can't get over how quickly she's grown._' thought Naruto, watching as Masane talked to Rihoko, pointing at something in the distance. He noticed a glare of light reflect off of Masane's left hand, more specifically, her left ring finger, which was adorned with a silver wedding ring. Naruto couldn't help but smile, as he looked down at his own wedding ring that fitted snugly on his own finger. '_And_ _who would've thunk that Masane and I would actually get married, especially in such a hectic time as this? But then again, I wouldn't have it any other way._'

At first, Naruto had simply written off his budding feelings for Masane as platonic, on the grounds that she was the first person he had met the day he had lost his memories, and that he was helping her raise Rihoko. But as time went on, his feelings for her intensified with each passing day. He had never told Masane about how he truly felt, in fear that his confession would have made things too awkward between the two of them. It only made things worse for the blonde whenever he saw other guys flirting with the young woman. He had to restrain himself in the past from beating up the numerous men that looked at her like a wolf would with a sheep, only resorting to violence whenever they encountered a few men that couldn't take "no" for an answer. Naruto thought that he was going to snap from keeping his own feelings for Masane under restraint whilst watching her interact with other men, knowing that he couldn't stop her if she really wanted to pursue a relationship with one of her many _beaus_. But it all came to a head, three days after Rihoko's second birthday.

**M.o.t.B.**

_Flashback _

It was late at night, and Rihoko was fast asleep in the temporary hotel room that the trio was currently staying in. The building was in serious disrepair, as were several of the other surrounding buildings, showing just how devastating the Great Quake was for all of Japan. The trio had three more days in the hotel before they had to move out and find another place to stay. But that wasn't the most pressing matter at the moment. No, the current problem that Naruto was facing involved Masane, who was sitting on a chair facing one of the room's windows, pretending that he wasn't there at all.

"Masane, please, don't be like this." pleaded Naruto, only to be met with silence. She had been silent since late afternoon. Ever since that incident, she had refrained from talking to him as much as she could, only answering in short, terse responses when it was necessary. "Oh come on, how long are you going to be like this?"

"Just stop it, Naruto. I'm already mad with you for that little stunt you pulled out on the streets, don't make things even worse for yourself." snapped Masane.

"Oh for the love of...are you still going on about that?" asked Naruto, exasperatedly.

"Well, yes, _Naruto_. I am still _going on_ about how you practically cost me a job that paid more than that stupid dish washing job at that damn seafood restaurant, _and _that blasted job at the dry cleaners combined!" replied Masane, keeping her voice as quiet as she could so as not to wake the sleeping child in the bedroom.

"For the umpteenth time, Masane, there was never a job to begin with. That man was nothing but a human trafficker looking for potential targets!"

"Oh, here we go again. It's time for Naruto Uzumaki's famous _Ten Easy Ways to Identify Rapists and Kidnappers _lecture! As if hearing it the last nine times wasn't enough! Honestly, you've got to be one of the most paranoid men I've ever encountered."

"With good reason! I've heard countless stories from the guys I work with, Masane, and they're all the same: wives, daughters, and sisters lured away from their families with promises of high-paying jobs only to never be seen again. And in some of the worst cases, their bodies are found laying in the streets or alleyways. Hell, I've seen people that exhibited the same behaviors akin to rapists, kidnappers, and violent sociopaths at the construction sites and loading docks. One of them was leering at you a few feet away from where you were having your little conversation with _Ryuga, _if that was even his real name. I was there at the skyscraper construction site when that bastard, Genma, was fired for nearly beating another worker to death, all because the man accidentally spilled beer on the guy's shirt!"

"That could have been a coincidence! Just because that lowlife was there, doesn't mean that he had any connection with Ryuga! And that didn't give you the right to threaten him for simply talking to me!"

"The guy was practically herding you towards where Genma was waiting, what was I supposed to do?!" The glare Masane sent him was so cold, that he couldn't help but shudder. "Okay, okay, maybe it was one big coincidence, but it was just too big of a risk. Look, I know that sometimes that we have to take some questionable work in order to better provide for our little girl, but that doesn't mean that you have to jump at every job offer that's presented to you."

"But we don't have the luxury of choosing which job to accept or decline, Naruto! We both have absolutely no recollections of our pasts, and we're constantly on the run from the NSWF; none of those things inspire confidence to employers when applying for work."

"So it's better to just accept whatever job is available from anyone that's offering, no questions asked?! That's just asking for people to take advantage of us. They'd just work us to the bone, and then pay a quarter of what they owe us, and that's if they even pay us at all! And if we try to confront them, they could make us compliant under the threat of calling the NSWF! And don't even get me started on how those scumbag employers act towards female applicants!"

"Oh, don't you start with that again, Naruto! I know all about the guys who like to harass the women that work for them, okay? I can take care of myself! I'm not some defenseless woman that needs a man to watch over her shoulder every time she interacts with some other guy!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Naruto.

Masane just stared at him, disbelievingly. "Are you kidding me? _Every single time_ you see me talking to another man, you act all paranoid around the guy, like he's going to violate me the first moment he gets. And on about ninety percent of those encounters, you either threaten them with violence or downright beat them up!"

"Maybe if they actually made _eye contact_ with you whilst they talked, instead of letting their eyes wander, I wouldn't have to pound them!"

"Just who do you think you are, eh?! You can't decide whether or not I can talk to other men! You're not my husband!"

"Well, I want to be!" Naruto's eye's widened in disbelief the moment those words left his mouth. For two years, he had kept his true feelings for the brunette to himself, in fear that they would jeopardize his friendship with her. And yet, he'd just let it slip like it was some trivial fact. The shell-shocked look on Masane's face only further strengthened his belief that he had just ruined the only stable relationship in his life.

"W-What?" Masane all but whispered.

"Uh, I,...you,... it's-forget it. Just forget what I said, it's nothing." said Naruto, desperately hoping that Masane wouldn't press further into the matter.

"Oh, no you don't! You're not getting off that easily!" she retorted, her normal headstrong personality returning at full force.

"Masane, please, could you just-"

"Naruto Uzumaki, don't you dare try to weasel yourself out of this! We made a promise with each other that we would always talk whenever something was bothering one of us; that we wouldn't keep our problems to ourselves. And if I remember correctly, you told me that you never went back on your word, no matter what. So you are going to tell me, once and for all, why you're acting like this? Why does it bother you so much to see me so much as talk to another guy, that you practically flip out? Why, Naruto, wh-"

"Because, _I love you_, okay?!" Naruto couldn't take it anymore, what with Masane's badgering, and the stress from blurting out one of his dreams, he just had to tell her. He knew that he couldn't keep the truth from Masane any longer, her stubbornness wouldn't have allowed it.

The two became silent in fear that their shouting had woken Rihoko up; that was never a pleasant experience, it always took a long time to get her back to sleep. Luckily, that wasn't the case for the two young parents, since they could still hear the soft snores of their little girl from the bedroom. Seeing as they weren't in any immediate danger of an upset daughter, the two returned to their previous predicament.

"I don't know when it happened; maybe it was when you stood up for me against those two racist cops, or from the first moment I'd laid eyes on you, but I knew that you were special. The fact that you defended a complete stranger against the police is a wonder in itself. But with each passing day, I realized that I was falling more and more in love with you: the way you laugh, the way Rihoko would always smile whenever she saw you, how you look twice as beautiful when you smile, even with how stubborn you can be once you've set your mind on something. You could have just about any guy that you want, what with your looks and personality. I mean, there's just so many other guys out there that could better provide for you and Rihoko, and I know that I should always have our daughter's well-being in mind, but just the thought of you and our daughter living with another man is just too unbearable to think about. Each time I see a well-dressed man talking to you, I feel as if I'm going to see you and Rihoko for the very last time. I _know _that I shouldn't be so jealous, and that staying with me would most likely result in a life of living in slums and eating junk food for you both, but I...I just can't help it! It's as if I'm committing suicide, as if it goes against every fiber of my being by letting some other guy share his life with you! Even though I must sound like the most selfish douche to you, I-"

Naruto didn't have chance to finish as Masane launched herself at him, the blonde catching hold of her in his arms in an instant, managing to stop themselves from crashing onto the floor. He was about to ask what was wrong, when Masane grasped his cheeks and pulled his head in for a soul-searing kiss. Naruto was shocked senseless, his emotions whirling around his mind like a tornado. He tried to make sense of the conflicting thoughts clouding his head, before he finally decided not to think about it, and tried to convey the emotions he had suppressed for so long into the kiss. The two relished their shared embrace as long as they could before they had to break apart in order to breathe.

"Naruto, although you're the most reliable person I've ever known, you can also be the densest man on the face of the planet." said Masane, as she gently stroked one his whiskered cheeks, smirking as Naruto made a face reminiscent of a content fox. "Did you ever stop to think as to why I rejected _every one_ of those men that tried to sweep me off my feet? It was because I had already found the perfect guy."

Naruto's eyes snapped out of his daze, startled at he had heard. "W-What? A-Are you saying that-"

"Yes, you big goof." giggled Masane. "I love you, too." The shocked expression on the blonde's face was just too cute to the brunette, but she became concerned once he started imitating a statue. She was about to ask if he was alright, before Naruto's lips collided passionately against hers. This time, it was Masane's turn to be surprised by her partner's sudden actions, before she reciprocated the emotions the blonde was conveying. This time it was Naruto who broke the kiss, his eyes burning with a fire that Masane had never seen before.

"Only in my dreams have I ever thought that I would hear you say those words, Masane. You and Rihoko have always kept me going whenever I felt like giving up. As long as I have the both of you in my life, I feel like I can take on anything the world throws at me." said Naruto, as he gently placed the woman back on the ground. She was confused by the action, until her eyes widened in surprise when Naruto clasped one of her hands in his own, and crouched down onto one knees. "Masane Amaha, you are the most beautiful, most amazing woman I have ever met. I know that things between us haven't always been easy, and that we've had our disagreements, but can honestly say that I wouldn't have it any other way. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and our daughter. Will you marry me?"

Masane said nothing, her eyes gazing down at him in disbelief, her remaining hand covering her mouth to stifle her startled cries. Naruto said nothing, preferring to stay silent. But with each passing second, dread slowly began to make its way to his heart. Did he come across too strongly? Did he make the jump too soon? All and all, the possibility that he had ruined things between him and Masane was becoming more and more evident.

"Yes."

Naruto's eyes shot up to hers, shock written across his face as he noticed that Masane's eyes were tearing up. He knew that he had heard her clearly, but at the same time, he had trouble believing what she had said. "Excuse me?"

Masane pulled her hand away from her mouth, revealing her smile. "Yes, I will marry you." she said, as a lone tear traveled down her cheek.

"You will?" asked Naruto, his elation matched by his surprise.

"I will." answered Masane, her tears of joy flowing more freely. "I will!"

"I love you so much, Masane!" cried Naruto, as he got to his feet to embrace the woman who had captured his heart.

"I love you, too!" exclaimed Masane, as she slammed her lips against his in another soul-searing kiss. Naruto immediately responded, his arms snaking around her waist, pulling her body towards him in a tight embrace. His heart felt like it was about to burst through his chest as Masane's arms wound themselves around the back of his neck, her leg hooked around one of his own. As he allowed himself to become more and more drawn into the kiss, Naruto couldn't help but think that he had forgotten something extremely important. Then, it hit him like a sack of bricks. With great reluctance, he gently eased Masane back to break their embrace, greatly confusing the woman.

"I'm sorry, I got so caught up in the moment, that I almost completely forgot." said Naruto, as he reached underneath his shirt, and pulled out a leather-corded necklace that had a large green gemstone in between two small metallic beads. It was the same necklace that he had been wearing the day he and Masane were found with Rihoko by the rescue teams. He didn't understand the significance of the peculiar piece of jewelry, but rationalized that it was of great importance; he didn't really see himself as a man that wore necklaces, whether they were jeweled or just simple chains. "I know that this isn't the traditional jewelry for engaged couples, but I want you to have this." he explained, as slipped the necklace around her neck. At first, Masane said nothing as she silently admired the green gem, before she realized what the blonde had just done.

"Wait, Naruto, I can't accept this." she said as she tried to take the necklace off, only for her fiancé to clasp hold of her hand.

"Yes, you can." he said. "I know that it's not a diamond ring, but I'd say it'll make for an adequate substitute until we find a church, mosque, or synagogue to perform the ceremony. And maybe once we're officially married, and we have enough money to spare, I can get you a proper one?"

"The lack of a ring isn't the problem, Naruto." insisted Masane. "You've had this necklace for as long as I've known you, and probably long before we'd met each other. This may be the one link to your past, the only reminder you have of the person you once were. Are you really sure that you really want me to have it?"

Naruto smiled as he stole a chaste kiss from the brunette. "Of course I'm sure, even more so since what you said about that necklace is true. But even though I still can't remember a thing about my past, that doesn't mean that I can't focus on the present, or dream about the future. I want us to share everything, Masane, like every family should. I want you to have this necklace, so that in the case that I ever regain my memories, you'll have a little piece of my past."

Masane couldn't stop the tear that slid down her cheek, before she leapt into the blonde's arms once again, and kissed him. Despite the fact that it was now early in the morning, the two young adults were content with simply being in each other's arms, relishing the elating feeling of their newfound love.

_Flashback End_

**M.o.t.B.**

'_That was one of the happiest moments that I can remember experiencing.' _thought Naruto, his gaze still on the wedding band that occupied his finger. He couldn't help but chuckle when he recalled Riko's reaction when they told her the news the very next morning. Even though she had just had her birthday, she acted as if she had just received the most spectacular present of all the time; she was absolutely ecstatic that her Mommy and Daddy were getting married. It took them four days to find a church that would perform the necessary ceremony to make their marriage legal, but by the end of the day they were officially pronounced husband and wife. Despite their worries, the little ceremony went off without a hitch, except when it came to the license signing. Neither of them had wanted to give up their last name, as they both felt that it was one of the few things that reminded them of who they once were. But the end, they both reached a compromise that they both felt was acceptable.

"Mom, what are you doing?!" cried his daughter, breaking Naruto from his trip down memory lane. Over to the starboard side, he saw Masane leaning over the edge and splashing the water for some unknown reason. Walking over to see what his wife was up to, he couldn't help but deadpan at what he saw.

'_Only you would do something like this, Masane._' thought Naruto as he watched Masane splash the water behind a rubber duck, in an effort to push it closer to the other ducks that were floating a little distance ahead of it.

"Come on, little guy! Hurry up, pedal to the metal! You're gonna have to really kick it in gear if you don't want to be left behind!" said Masane, as she continued to splash at the back of the wayward toy duck. Unfortunately, she over-extended on one of her splashes, accidentally losing her balance and sending her falling towards the ocean. Not wasting any time, Naruto's arm shot out and snatched a hold of her jean's waistband. With a quick jerk of his his arm, he pulled her back over the edge and into his arms before the water could even touch her.

"Wow! Nice catch, Dad!" cried Riko, as she clapped her hands in amazement. She always enjoyed watching her father's exceptional reflexes in action.

"You nearly fall overboard trying to reunite a toy duckling with its family? Just what am I going to do with you, Masane?" asked Naruto, playfully.

Masane just smirked up at Naruto. "Well, I'm just lucky that _my hero_ is here to watch over me." she cooed, as she brushed her behind against his crotch.

"Stop teasing." he whispered into her ear, trying not cause a scene. Luckily their daughter didn't take notice of their interactions, she was busy playing with the captain's dog.

"Why? You know you like it." she whispered back, her smirk widening at her husband's reaction as she continued to subtly gyrate against him.

"Damn straight, I do." murmured Naruto, as he nuzzled his nose against the crook of her neck. Before things could progress any further, they both heard a man clearing his throat. Turning to where they heard the noise, they were greeted with the sight of an unamused captain at the helm of his boat.

"Look, I can clearly see the love in your relationship, but could the both of you _please_ keep it rated PG? I've been on the sea numerous times, and I don't want my ship to be used to reenact some dirty scene from a movie." deadpanned the man. The married couple had the decency to look embarrassed for nearly making out in public, and in front of their daughter no less. Naruto glanced back towards where he had last seen Rihoko, and was relieved to see that she hadn't caught them in the act as well. Instead, she was having the captain's large and ferocious looking guard dog performing tricks normally seen done by a normal pet dog.

"Well how about that." said the captain, as he watched his dog shake hands with Riko. "My dog has been known to growl at every man, woman, and child that would so much as try to pet him. Now look at him, your kid has him acting like some family's pet."

"Yep, that's our daughter for ya." said Masane. "She's incredibly smart for her age, and can get along with just about anyone.

"Yeah, I can see that." replied the captain. "So, any particular reason the three of ya are moving to New Tokyo?"

"Oh, well, we decided that it was time for a change. Our old neighborhood wasn't exactly the most ideal place fora family, _if you catch my drift_." said Naruto, hoping that the man would pick up on his underlying message. Jobs had become more and more scarce in their old home, and they had a few too many near misses with the NSWF to their liking. On top of that, the people were _still _mistaking him as a foreigner; it had gotten to the point where he had his job applications ignored by employers a couple of times. And if those weren't bad enough, then the increase in violent riots provided adequate incentives to convince them that it was time to move.

"Heh, I think I can understand where you're coming from." said the captain, gruffly. "So of all the cities in Japan, you chose New Tokyo?"

"That's right; it was the city where we had our baby girl. So we thought, 'Why not move back to the city where we all became a family?'." answered Masane. She then turned to their daughter. "Hey, Riko, come over here and take a look at our new home."

The bright girl nearly teleported to where they were, her bright eyes taking in the city that was on the horizon.

"It's so huge!" exclaimed Riko. "Is this really where we're going to live now?"

"You bet, Riko." answered Masane. "No more grungy hotels or rat-infested parks for us. That city out there is a clean start for all of us. Think of it as a brand new adventure. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Definitely!" said Naruto, as he engulfed both his wife and daughter in a big hug. "This is going a great experience for all of us. New Tokyo won't know what hit it once we arrive!" The trio broke into laughter, as the captain silently looked on.

'_The Amaha-Uzumakis, huh? They certainly are one eccentric family._' thought the captain. '_I doubt that New Tokyo will be the same with them around._'

**M.o.t.B.**

"Thanks for the ride, captain." said Naruto as he paid the man, although he was somewhat irked at the price that was charged for the three of them.

"No problem. I wish the three of you the best of luck. Trust me, you're going to need it." he said, as he counted the money, before quickly pocketing it.

The small family was about head into the city, when Masane suddenly remembered something. "Wait. Before I forget, I wanted to give you this." She handed the man a cloth handkerchief, much to the man's confusion.

"Um, what's this?"

"I noticed that you were missing a flag on your ship on the ride here." answered Masane. "I figured that your boat should have a complete set."

"Uh, thanks." said the captain, as he watched the eccentric woman join her husband and daughter, before, they vanished into the crowd of people.

It didn't take long before the Amaha-Uzumaki family was deep within the hustling city. Street vendors were everywhere, their merchandise out on display in hopes of attracting the attention of potential customers. Everything from handbags to hamburgers was just waiting to be purchased. Even though there still remained several buildings that sustained damage from the Great Quake, it was far cleaner than the other cities.

"Wow! New Tokyo looks so much bigger than from when we were on the boat!" exclaimed Riko, her eyes eagerly taking in every building and stand that she saw.

"Well, this _is _Japan's capital city." said Naruto, his eyes idly roaming across the area. "Although, I have to admit that the government managed to do a decent job on the repairs. There's certainly a lot less rubble here than the last time we were here."

Suddenly, the trio heard a siren approaching towards them, causing Rihoko to instinctively hide behind her parents, her hands clutching at their pant legs. Naruto and Masane slid closer together, as if to cover their daughter from a predator, their hands protectively grasping her back. Luckily, the police cruiser raced down the street, completely ignoring the young family. Seeing that they wouldn't be facing the police anytime soon, the two young parents visibly relaxed before turning to ease their little girl's anxiety.

"Don't worry, Riko, we won't let those people take you away from us." said Masane soothingly, stroking her daughter's hair the way she always did whenever the young girl was distressed.

"Your mother's right, little one," added Naruto, "we'll do everything in our power to protect you, and to keep our family together."

Rihoko tore her gaze from the ground to stare deep into the adults' eyes. "You both promise?"

The two parents shared a brief glance before looking back down at their daughter. "We promise. And just like your father always says, we Amaha-Uzumakis never go back on our word." said Masane.

Naruto just smiled in agreement with his wife. "But, on the off chance that we _do_ end up being separated, we should have a location where we can all meet up later."

"Well what do you know, Riko? Your father is living proof that not all blondes are airheads." teased Masane, her smile getting bigger as Naruto stuck his tongue out in retribution, making Rihoko giggle at her father's childish tendencies. "But you do have a point, dear. It would be best if we had somewhere we could all meet up if we ever got lost." She looked from left to right until her eyes spotted something, her hand pointing to a large tower that was miles away from where they were standing. "Hey! How about over there? We'll all meet up at that tower. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" cried their daughter, just a loud gurgling sound issued from the little girl, bringing a blush to her face.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. "Seeing as that little problem is now settled, how about we find some place to get some grub, ne?"

"Why not? After all, this is our first day in New Tokyo. We should celebrate this monumental occasion." agreed Masane. "But no ramen bars, Naruto."

"What?!"

"We've had ramen for the last three days! You may like eating that stuff every day, but that does not mean we do. We are going to find a nice restaurant that serves real food, not high-sodium noodle soup, and that's final."

"Ah come on, Ma-" His words died in his throat the moment Masane gave him _that look_, that glare that promised him endless suffering and an indeterminably long cold shoulder from his wife. "Okay, okay, fine. I get the message, no ramen." he sighed.

"Good! I'd new you'd see things my way." beamed his wife, as she playfully rustled his hair.

Riko just smiled at her parents' antics, and how they tended to act like children despite being adults.

**M.o.t.B.**

After a small search, the family of three had found a small little restaurant that was within their budget. It was a quaint little establishment had several tables stationed on the outside, and one covered area that housed the kitchen. To Naruto's delight, the restaurant _did_ serve ramen, but a quick serious glance from his wife convinced him not to order his favorite dish. So instead, he settled for the same beef stew that Masane and Rihoko had ordered. It wasn't ramen, but it was still pretty good.

"Aaahhh, that hit the spot!" said Masane. "It's so good to eat something different than that over-glorified junk food you call _the food of the gods_."

"Yes, yes, I get it, Masane. I've got some fixation on ramen." replied Naruto, half-annoyed with his wife's antics.

"Dad, why do you like ramen so much?"

"Because I...well, to tell me truth, I don't really know. Maybe I grew up eating it every day?"

"If you did, then that would explain why you're sometimes so thick-headed, honey." teased Masane.

Naruto just smirked. "Please, you're just jealous that I can eat as much ramen as I want, _and _keep my figure at the same time."

"You shut up! There is no way that you can eat thirty bowls of ramen in three days, and not gain a single pound! That's not physically possible!"

Riko said nothing, and instead opted to eat her meal in silence, as her parents began yet another squabble amongst each other. '_Sometimes, I just don't really understand grown-ups._' she thought, as she took another sip of broth from her bowl.

"There you three are!" shouted a voice, one that the small family was all to familiar with. Turning to face where they had heard the voice originate from, they saw that it was none other than that same woman that they had the misfortune of encountering numerous times, wearing that same pink business suit, and her face showing that same infuriatingly serious but prideful expression. Like all the other times that they'd crossed paths, she was accompanied by two police escorts.

"We've been looking for you, Mr. and Mrs. Amaha-Uzumaki." the woman said, as she and her entourage approached them. "You know that avoiding Child Welfare is considered to be a minor crime. _By law_, we are required to remove children from unsuitable parents."

Naruto and Masane said nothing, instead opting towards silently maintaining eye contact with each other. After several close encounters with Child Services, the duo had come up with several back-up plans, as well as a silent way of communication which they used in tough situations. With as miniscule movements as possible, Naruto pointed at the table with his index, middle, and ring fingers twice, before slightly flicking the middle and index fingers twice. Masane gave the smallest of nods, signaling that she understood the plan.

As the Child Services representative and the two officers continued their approach towards the family, unaware of what was going to happen, Naruto slowly rose to his feet, carefully grasping his and Masane's bowls like he was about clear the table. Suddenly without warning, Naruto flung the bowls and their contents at the nearest officer, blinding the man long enough for Naruto to slam the man to the ground with a powerful punch to the face. Before the second officer could retaliate, Naruto knocked him flat with a sweep kick to the legs, striking him unconscious with a punch to the temple.

During the chaos, Masane snatched up Riko, and bolted towards the back. She hated leaving Naruto to deal with the police alone, but there was little that she could do in regards to hand-to-hand combat. She had gotten some tips on self-defense from her husband, but she knew that those moves wouldn't do much good against five or six police officers.

"Mom, wait!" cried Riko. "What about Dad?"

"Don't worry, sweetie, your father is more than capable of handling a few cops." said Masane, trying to reassure her daughter, as well as herself. "Right now, we've just got to focus on getting as far away as possible from the bad lady." They were running down an alleyway and were about to reach the end, when suddenly two policemen appeared in front of them. Masane was about to back track and possibly try running down a different path, when she saw two more officers running up to their position.

"God damn it." muttered Masane, for once not minding that her daughter was close by to hear her curse.

After making sure that the downed officers was unconscious, Naruto turned his gaze back to the woman in the pink suit. "Why do you keep pestering us?! We've just moved here, and my wife and I were going to find jobs, as well as a place to live! Why is it that you're so determined to break our family apart?!"

"Because, Mr. Amaha-Uzumaki, our records indicate that in the past six years, you and your wife have never been able to hold a job down for more than a few months. Your daughter needs to live in a household that will have no problem providing for her." replied the Child Services woman, as if she were explaining it to a petulant child.

"That's why we moved to New Tokyo, so that we could find better jobs! If you'd actually give us a chance to settle down, we can show your organization that we can provide a stable living environment for Rihoko!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Amaha-Uzumaki, but you've been pitching that promise for six years, and so far we haven't seen any improvement. Now, I have to take things into my own hands."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I knew that you would try something like this: you act as the diversion whilst your wife makes a break with Rihoko. So I had few officers lay and wait near the back of the restaurant."

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief, he had never been fooled by the NSWF like this before. But the shock soon melted into rage. He was furious that this bitch, _this parasite_, had the utter nerve to stick her nose where it didn't belong! Who gave her or the NSWF the right to call him or Masane unfit parents?! Suddenly, he felt something prick his neck, causing him to break his gaze from the woman. Feeling around the back of his neck, his fingers made contact with something metallic. Gingerly pulling the foreign object off of his skin, he saw that it was a small dart. Soon enough, his vision began to swim, and he felt his strength gradually begin to fail him. His legs no longer able to keep him upright, he collapsed to the ground in a heap. As his vision slowly faded into darkness, the last thing he saw was a second pair of policemen and that _damn bitch_ walking towards him.

**M.o.t.B.**

Naruto opened his eyes, only to quickly shut them to block out the searing luminescence from the florescent lights. Fighting back the vertigo that assaulted his head as he stood on his feet, he realized that he was no longer outside. And judging by the metal bars that stood in front of him, the thick concrete walls surrounding him, the metal slabs chained to the wall, and the lone toilet and sink, it was easy for him to determine where exactly he was.

"God damn it, I'm in jail again." muttered Naruto.

"It didn't have to come to this." Turning to face the bars, Naruto was greeted with the one woman he hated above all others.

"Oh, it's _you_." growled the blonde, as he walked up to the sliding bars. "I should have known that you'd be behind all of this."

"Don't you start that nonsense with me." she retorted. "You and your wife brought this upon yourselves."

Naruto stopped until he was about an inch away from the bars, so that he could get a good look at the woman standing before him. But in the blonde's eyes, she was no woman. Instead, all that he saw was a parasite, a scavenger that made its living by leeching off of others. "While we're on that subject, where did you take my family? Where are Masane and Riko?"

"Don't worry; your wife and daughter are safe. They're currently at another police station. I'd asked the police to have them wait in an office while I make sure that you wake up from the tranquilizer we used."

"So you've resorted to using tranquilizer darts, now? Tell me, Ms. Child Services, do you go to such _extreme measures _for all of your cases?"

"I'm just trying to do my job." she answered, frostily.

"Really? _Your job_? I'm sorry, but when you applied for your nice, bureaucratic job with the NSWF, did one of the prerequisites say that you must be willing to _relentlessly hunt down any family that does not meet NSWF's standards like wild game_?"

"I was left with no other choice! Because of your constant interference, I had no other option but to use law enforcement to force you to give your child the chance to have a better life!"

"Her life was fine just the way it was! She had a loving mother and father looking after her; we always made sure that she ate three meals a day, and had a roof over her head. Sure, we had to move around a lot, but that was only when the job market in that area ended up failing. If you had just given us a chance in New Tokyo, we-"

"NO!" interrupted the woman. "No more. You have been using that line countless times, Mr. Amaha-Uzumaki, but your family have yet to show the NSWF any improvement. And I will not let Rihoko suffer from her egotistical parents who refuse to admit that they are unfit to raise a child!"

Naruto's head fell until his forehead touched the metal bars, his bangs obscuring his eyes. "Say that again, _I dare you._" Naruto said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

The woman inched closer, having had enough of the man's defiant attitude herself. "I said, that I won't let Rihoko suffer from her _egotistical parents_ who refuse to admit that they're _unfit _to-" Naruto struck faster than the woman anticipated. He grabbed onto her arms, and pulled them through the gaps between the bars so that she was face to face with him. It was only then did she notice the look of absolute rage that was before her. His once bright blue eyes were now cold, dark sapphires, staring deep into her own hazel orbs with utter contempt.

"How dare you." growled Naruto, giving the woman's arms a tug, bringing her closer to the bars. "How _fucking _dare you. Who gave you or your damned organization the right to deem Masane and me unfit parents, huh? What does an unmarried, single, middle-aged woman like you know anything about parenthood?"

"Mr. Amaha-Uzumaki, let go of me! You're only making things worse for yourself!" said the woman, as she tried in vain to free herself from the blonde's iron grip. She didn't know why, but having the man's burning glare focused on her was downright frightening. She couldn't explain it, just looking into those angry eyes felt as if she were staring down a vengeful demon. Her instincts were yelling at her to flee, and yet it felt like her feet were petrified.

"You truly are something else, aren't you? Blindly following orders from your big government corporation to find families that are struggling to get by, taking their kids away because your _superiors_ say that they are _in danger, _and then dropping them off at whatever foster family the NSWF recommends. And don't get me started on the orphans; you Child Services people practically go cruising down the city streets, searching for them as if they were stray cats and dogs."

"You're starting to hurt me!" the woman protested loudly, all the while wondering where the hell the security guards were.

"But then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. After all, jobs from the NSWF do pay a lot of money. And given the current state of Japan's economy, you need a good paying job just to survive. So what if NSWF tears a few hundred children from their families or countless orphaned children get sent to neglectful foster families every year? So long as you do what they pay you to do, who are you to complain, am I right?"

"That's not true! I joined the NSWF to help children! I rescue them from dangerous environments, and help find safe and loving homes for them!"

Naruto gave the woman's arms another tug, forcing her face closer towards his own. "Then riddle me this, _Ms. Child Services_: out of the all of the families that your corporation takes children from, how often do the parents ever get them back? And why is it that the only adults that your corporation deems suitable for adopting children have enough money to buy a holiday home in Okinawa?!"

"Ma'am, your time is up. You have to-Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" shouted a guard, who had just entered the hold facility. The officer quickly left to get reinforcements to handle the hostage situation, but neither the woman or Naruto had noticed.

"You go on and on about how you're helping the children of Japan, that you've blinded yourself to reality! You're no public servant, no champion for lost children! You're nothing more but an over-glorified bounty hunter! No, I take it back; that would be an insult to bounty hunters everywhere! You're more akin to a human trafficker, what with the way that you snatch up kids wherever your superiors tell you to, and then put them on display for the wealthy, as if they're nothing more but exotic pets! YOU DON'T GIVE A FLYING _FUCK_ ABOUT WHAT THE CHILDREN REALLY WANT, NOR ABOUT THE PAIN YOU INFLICT ON THEIR PARENTS, JUST SO LONG AS YOU GET YOUR DAMN PAYCHECK!" Naruto snarled, his voice becoming louder with each passing word. The woman remained silent, too shocked to form a coherent response to the blonde's spiteful tirade. It was only with the abrupt arrival of the guards did she manage to break away from his cold and hateful stare.

"Let go of her this instant!" ordered the closest policeman, but Naruto paid no attention to the man, his rage clouding over his other senses.

"I said release her, now!" shouted the same officer.

"Release the hostage, or we will take action!"

"Don't just stand there, do something!" shouted the captive woman. The woman's exclamation stirring them into action, one officer aimed his rifle at the blonde and fired a tranquilizer dart. The dart struck Naruto's shoulder, the sudden impact providing the woman a large enough opening to escape. And just like before, Naruto quickly found himself becoming drowsier with each passing second. He didn't even get the chance to curse out the officer that shot him before he lost consciousness, and collapsed onto the ground.

"Just where the _hell _were you lot five minutes ago?!" demanded the woman, her gaze still locked onto the prone blonde man whilst she massaged her wrists absentmindedly.

"We apologize, ma'am," began the chief, "but just as you went to see the prisoner, two of our officers were bringing in a pickpocket that we've been searching for quite a while. The perpetrator was being extremely aggressive, and it took several of us to get him under control long enough to get him processed."

"Yes, well, I think you could've been able to spare at least _one_ officer to guard the holding facility. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere." And with a harrumph, the woman in the pink business suit walked out of the holding area.

"Tch, dealing with the regular assortment of criminals on a daily basis is bad enough, but those NSWF people are something else." muttered the chief.

"I'll say." agreed a much younger cop. "So, chief, what do we do with this gaij-uh, I mean _guy_?" The man managed to stop himself the moment the chief's glare locked onto him.

"You'd do well to keep those despicable thoughts to yourself, if you want to remain in this precinct, _rookie_." growled the elder officer. "As for Blondie, put in him in solitary confinement for tonight, we'll deal with his sorry ass in the morning. Yagumi, Honda, move the prisoner to Cell 213." His piece said and done, the chief left to return to his office, he still had a mountain of paperwork to finish before his shift ended. The rest of the officers left to return to their stations as well, save for the two aforementioned cops. As the duo dragged the drugged blonde to the solitary confinement cell, one thought continued to go through Naruto's subconscious.

'_Masane...Riko...I'm so sorry for letting you down._'

_To Be Continued... _

**M.o.t.B.**

**Well, there's the first "official" chapter for you. Sorry that it has taken me so long to post this, but I was dealing with a lot of personal issues. I was planning on posting this update on Christmas, but that didn't go so well. Then, I tried for New Year's Eve, and then for New Year's Day, but that didn't go so well either. The dialogue was a bit difficult this time around, I just couldn't get it to the way I wanted it to be without sounding clumsy. But hey, like the old saying goes: better late than never. Am I right? *ducks under thrown boot* Okay, next time I'll try to get updates posted at a quicker pace.**

**Additionally, I had originally intended for this chapter to be longer, but then realized that it would be a bit of a chore to read. While I like long chapters, I don't want them to be so long that the reader loses interest in the middle of the chapter and then decide to quit. **

**And so, here we see what has happened with Masane and Naruto during and after the six year time skip. But their happiness was abruptly interrupted, thanks to NSWF. And now that Naruto's in jail, what's to become of little Rihoko? Will Masane be able to keep the Child Services from ripping her family apart? Will the Blades ever make an appearance? Find next time! **

**P.S., if you check out my profile, you'll see a link to a picture of what the Amaha-Uzumakis look like in the beginning of the story, done by the talented EmoIsTheNewHappy. Feel free to check it out. **

**P.S.S., today's my birthday, so this is an extra satisfying moment for me.  
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**P.S.S.S., thank you Vandenbz for being my beta reader for this chapter, it really help cut out the errors I missed, and rephrase the awkward lines I had.  
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**Don't forget to Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Masters of the Blades **

**Hello everyone! Just to be sure that were are all clear, I _wished_ that I owned NARUTO and WITHCBLADE, but I don't. **

**Chapter 2 **

_**Catalysts and Complications**_

**M.o.t.B.**

After the two female Amaha-Uzumakis had been cornered by the police, they were immediately escorted to a cruiser and driven to a police station. From there, they had been placed on a bench, and were told to wait until the NSWF representative arrived. The wait was unbearable for Masane as time seemed to pass by at a snail's pace, the only distractions being the hustle and bustle of the police officers doing their work. It had been a little over thirty minutes since they were told to wait for the woman from Child Services, and Rihoko had fallen asleep beside her, as a result of the combined effects of her adrenaline rush leaving her system and the boring waiting. The little girl wanted to stay awake as she was afraid what would happen while she napped, despite the fact that she was becoming drowsier by the second, but Masane managed to convince her to get some rest with the promise that she would wake her if anything important happened. That left Masane alone with her worries about what happened to Naruto. The last that she saw of him was when he was acting as a diversion so she and Riko could escape. She was upset that he had actually assaulted the police officers that were there, as she had had a long talk with him in the past on how resorting to violence against the police would only make things worse for him in the long run. But at the same time, she understood why her husband was so distrustful towards them, given his past experiences. Yet Masane knew that now was not the time to reminisce about bad memories; not when the possibility of her family being split apart was far too close to her liking. And if that wasn't hair-raising enough for the brunette, then there were the rumors that she managed to hear from the officers about a wild blonde man having to be tranquilized in order to be subdued.

'_Naruto,_' thought Masane, her right hand subconsciously clutching the green gem of her necklace, an act she always did whenever she was nervous, '_I really wish that you were with us right now. You always seem to know how beat the Child Welfare agents at their own bureaucratic games. I'm not sure I can last long against this bitch on my own._'

She was broken from her thoughts by a pair of giggles, perverted giggles to be precise. Her eyes darted towards the source of the noise, where she saw two policemen at a desk a few feet away from the bench that she and Rihoko were sitting on. The two law enforcers were complete opposites in regards to body types: one was overly muscular whilst the other was obese; both were staring at her with lewd eyes, specifically at how her breasts looked more pronounced with her right arm positioned in between them. She just sighed tiredly; sometimes, Masane felt that her bosom caused her nothing but trouble.

Once the "pigs" noticed that she was aware of their lecherous stares, they tried to play it off by sending her flirtatious winks and wriggling eyebrows her way, as if they thought that she would actually want to spend more "quality" time with them later. Masane responded with a cold and infuriated glare as she brought up her left hand for the officers to see, mentally smirking once she saw their confident expressions deflate as the light caught her ring's polished surface, before she decided to add insult to injury by flipping them the bird. Their surprised and outraged expressions were priceless.

But before the two men could do anything to salvage their wounded pride, a female officer in her late forties directed her and a recently-awakened Rihoko to an empty office upstairs, with explicit instructions to wait for the Child Welfare agent that had met them at the restaurant. With nothing but the hum of the overhead fluorescent lights and the quiet ticking of the clock hanging on the wall to keep them company, Masane was left with her thoughts to preoccupy herself. If the police had to use tranquilizing darts to subdue her husband, then he was in even more trouble than she thought. With the steadily rising rate of crimes being committed throughout Japan after the Great Quake, the local police were forced to take more drastic measures. A new type of tranquilizer dart had been developed to be used as a means to end violent riots and hostage situations. The JSDF had been the first to implement the darts in their arsenal, and the local law enforcers were just beginning to use them for their patrols, but were restricted to be used for only the most dire of situations. And if Naruto had to have been tranquilized before he was taken into custody, then getting him out of jail was going to be more difficult than she originally thought.

Just at that moment, the door opened to reveal the very woman that had made it her mission to break apart their family. The social worker said nothing as she sat behind the desk that was in front of the mother/daughter duo, and got her papers in order. Once she had everything organized the way she wanted, she turned to face the Amaha-Uzumaki woman with a calm, emotionless gaze. The two women remained silent, as if daring each other to break the silence, all the while making poor little Riko very uncomfortable with the tension building between the adults.

Finally, the social worker noticed Riko's discomfort. "If it's alright with you, Rihoko can wait outside whilst we talk." she said. Masane didn't like the idea of letting her child out of her sight, especially around with the NSWF, but she knew that it would be best if the little girl didn't hear their conversation.

"Riko, could you go sit outside for a while, please? Mommy needs to talk to the NSWF lady." said Masane, keeping her tone as calm and endearing as she could, despite the fact that she was even more nervous than her daughter. Riko gazed into her mother's eyes for a moment, her nervousness making her hesitant to leave her mother's side, but a kind smile from Masane managed to placate her nervousness. The moment she saw her daughter leave the room and close the door behind her, Masane leveled the woman in the suit with contemptuous glare.

"Where's my husband?" she asked, tersely. "Why isn't he here with us?"

The Child Welfare woman remained calm, as if she had been in similar situations like her current one several times before. "I never took you as a woman who needs your husband's approval whenever you make decisions." she replied coolly.

Masane didn't rise to the woman's bait, but was mentally seething at the remark. "I don't. I just thought that since this concerns _our family_, he'd want to be involved.

"Well, I'm sorry to say, Mrs. Amaha-Uzumaki, but your husband won't be able to attend this little meeting."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Masane, a sliver of dread forming in her stomach.

"He's in a holding cell in another precinct, ten miles from here."

"And what about the rumors I've been hearing throughout the station? About how some wild psycho had to be tranquilized in order to be brought in? Is that what _your organization_ tells the police is the best way to bring in people that refuse to cooperate now?! By shooting knock-out darts at them, as if they were dangerous, out-of-control monsters?!"

"Given Mr. Amaha-Uzumaki's history with policemen that were assigned to assist us, the local authorities believed that it would've been best if he were detained as painlessly and quickly as possible, in order to avoid the risk of injury for both parties."

"Oh, so now the police are the victims? Tch, of course _you'd _side with them." muttered Masane.

"Excuse me?"

Masane's glare intensified at the woman in the pink suit. "I said that I'm not surprised that whenever there's a dispute between citizens and the police officers NSWF has under its payroll, the police are always portrayed as the _misunderstood, long-suffering people, dedicated to upholding the law_. Of course, your corporation always seem to _conveniently_ forget all of the times when their operatives abuse their authority, or whenever they're on one of their power trips."

The woman's stern mask broke away to reveal an affronted expression. "That is quite an accusation to make towards servants of the law based solely on rumors from the public media, Mrs. Amaha-Uzumaki. Unless you have the proof to back your claims up, I'd strongly advise you to keep your wild ideas to yourself, they won't-"

Masane said nothing, instead started shifting through the contents of her bag, before withdrawing three folders, which she all but threw on the table.

The NSWF agent was surprised by the brunette's action, clueless as to what her intent was. "What are th-"

"These are incident reports detailing how the police officers that were assigned to work for _your organization_, harassed my husband, and attempted to arrest him on the grounds of being in Japan illegally on _three separate occasions_! I made sure that I had gotten written reports from the superintendents of their precincts, especially after the third time." Masane pulled out the contents of the folder, and slid the report in front of the social worker's face. As the woman began to skim through the document, taking notice of the pictures showing Naruto's bruised visage, Masane continued. "That report states that while my family was brought to the local police station, as per your orders, two of _your_ _officers _dragged Naruto away from Rihoko and me, saying that they needed to ask him some questions. That was just an excuse for them to aggressively interrogate my husband on whether or not he was in the country legally, all because he _looked like a foreigner_! And when he wouldn't admit to his _crime_, they started to viciously beat him! But when I tried to find out where Naruto was, another one of _your _flunkies attempted to distract me by trying to flirt with me, in front of our daughter too!"

The Child Welfare woman tried to say something, but Masane was having none of that. "But wait, that's not the best part! When I tried to go towards the room where I saw your cops take Naruto, that third one tried to arrest me on the grounds of _obstructing justice_! If it weren't for the chief, he would've probably gone through with his bullshit arrest, and my husband would've most likely been severely injured, or worse, _killed_! So don't you _**dare **_try to portray Naruto as some demented violent sociopath, when he has every right to be distrustful towards your hired police _thugs_!"

"Alright! Alright, already!" exclaimed the social worker, as she slammed her palms onto the desk in frustration. Realizing how unbecoming her emotional outburst was, she took a deep calming breath to settle her already frazzled nerves, and pushed away the incident report. "Mrs. Amaha-Uzumaki, I understand that you and your family have had issues with our police officers in the past, and for that I sincerely apologize for what you've all endured. Their actions were absolutely atrocious, and your family should not have been subjugated to such horrendous behavior. But the reason that we're here isn't about your family's past history with the police. It's about your daughter, and her future."

"What are you going on about?" exclaimed Masane. "Naruto and I have always put her well-being before our own. We made sure that she ate three meals a day, had clean clothes to wear, and is always in good health!"

The woman's expression remained neutral. "That may be so, but your family has been constantly on the move. You three never stay in the same place longer than four months, that can't be good for a young girl growing up."

"But it's not like we meant to move from place to place. Sometimes, we'd lose our jobs because of the economy, or when our residency was terminated because our apartment or hotel had to be foreclosed. We had to move in order to better provide for our daughter! That's why we moved to New Tokyo, we figured that if we got work in a more stable city in Japan, we-"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Masane, but you've used that excuse several times already. We gave you plenty of chances to try and create a stable life for Rihoko, but so far, NSWF doesn't see any improvement. Now, I'm not saying that you and your husband are to blame, but there needs to be a change in the way you do things."

"...What are you saying?"

The representative reached into her briefcase, and withdrew a sheet of paper. As soon as it was placed in front of her, Masane knew exactly what it was: a consent form to willingly allow the NSWF to take temporary custody of a endangered child.

"Before you say anything, let me assure you that this arrangement would only be temporary." said the woman, effectively cutting off the retort Masane wanted to shout out. "What I'm proposing is that you leave Rihoko in our care for a little while, three weeks maximum; just long enough for you and your husband to get a steady-paying job, and a permanent place of residency. Once we see that you've met the necessary requirements, your daughter will immediately be returned to your custody."

"But our family has always been together, you can't just separate us like this! Think about how this would affect Riko, it would devastate her!"

"I'm sorry, but my hands are tied. The NSWF isn't willing to give your family any more chances. It's time to accept that you need time to get yourselves settled without having to worry about taking care of Riko."

Masane stared at the document intensely, absently scratching at the scar on her right wrist. The entire situation made her stomach turn. "Can I at least talk to my husband first, so that we can make our decision together?"

The lady just shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I need your decision immediately; this matter can't be postponed any longer. As Riko's mother, I thought that you were capable of making decisions regarding the well-being of your child."

If looks could kill, then the glare that Masane shot towards the woman would've been powerful to melt steel. "Of course I'm capable of making decisions regarding my daughter, but she's _Naruto's_ child too. We promised each other that we would always make decisions regarding Riko together."

"Are you on good terms with your husband?"

That question was like a smack to the face. The fact that the woman in front of her had the audacity to ask such a question was both shocking and infuriating! "Of course we are! We love each other and our daughter very much!" she angrily exclaimed.

"So he trusts your judgment, then?"

Masane couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What kind of stupid question is-of course we trust each other!"

"Then I think he would understand the situation your family is in right now, and respect any decision you would make for your daughter." answered the woman, as she placed a pen beside the form. "Masane, I know that you don't like to admit that you need help when it comes to your family, especially if it's from Child Welfare, but sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and do what's necessary for your child."

Masane stared at the paper in front of her as if it were a live bomb set to go off in less than a minute. Her initial instinct was to rip the form to pieces, and throw them in that smug woman's face in spite. Their family had been together since the day they had been found by rescue workers. She truly believed that they could endure any hardship so long as they stuck together. But after losing more jobs than she cared to count, and being forced to move from one home to another, she was seriously beginning to have doubts. And then she thought about Riko. Because of their inability to hold down a proper home or job, their daughter had missed out on so many things children their age normally experienced: going to school, making new friends her age, going to birthday parties, sleepovers. The brunette wanted Rihoko to have a happy, normal life more than anything, and as much as it pained her to admit it, that didn't seem all too likely with the way things were now.

'_As much as I want to believe in Naruto and myself, I know that we can't keep doing this to Riko. It isn't fair for her to keep living this kind of life._' she thought despondently. With defeated sigh, as well as a feeling of dread steadily pooling in her stomach, Masane did something that she thought she'd never do: she signed the consent form. Seeing that her objective has been fulfilled, the social worker took back the document and pen back, and placed them in her briefcase.

"You made the right choice, Masane. I'm sure you and your husband will be able to get things straightened out in no time. But don't worry, we'll make sure to take good care of Rihoko." said the woman, trying to sound as sympathetic as she could. But Masane said nothing; to her, the social worker's words just seemed hollow and fake, like it was just something that all social workers were trained to say in this type of situations. She didn't even notice the woman walk out of the room, too focused on what she had just done.

"Rihoko? My name is Ms. Sakurai. I need you come with me." said the social worker. Masane stayed silent, afraid that if she did anything, her fragile resolve would shatter to a million pieces. It was all that she could do to keep herself from comforting Riko when she heard the fear and despair in her voice.

"I'm sorry, but your parents are going through some serious difficulties that need to be resolved immediately, and it wouldn't be safe for you to remain with them while they work things out. So, I'm here to take you on a little...camping trip...for a little while." explained Sakurai.

"But...But I don't want to go. I want stay with my mom and dad!" The young mother visibly flinched, as if she were struck by an arrow. This was all too painful for her to bear.

"I'm sorry, Rihoko, but it's for your own good."

"No! I don't want to go! Please, don't take me away from my family!" The increased noise outside the room, and her daughter's voice becoming fainter with each passing second, indicated that Sakurai and the officers were escorting her daughter away. "MOMMY! MOMMY, PLEASE HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU AND DADDY!"

'_It's for Riko's own good. It's for Riko's own good. It's for Riko's own good._' Masane mentally chanted to herself, trying her hardest to keep herself together. '_It's for Riko's own good! It's for...for..._' But no matter how hard she tried, memories of all the good times she experienced with her family came rushing back. Rihoko's first words, seeing her learn how to walk, the night Naruto proposed, all their little family outings; in all of these memories, their family had stood together through all the good and bad times. She and Naruto had managed to keep their daughter with them for six years, and yet she willingly allowed the NSWF to break them apart in just one day.

"Oh Kami,...what have I done?" she whispered, as a lone tear slid down her cheek. In a flash of movement, she charged through the door, and dashed down the flight of stairs, practically leaping over three steps at a time. The moment her feet landed on the bottom floor, she ran towards the main door, shoving her way through anyone that got in her way. But once she finally made it outside, she saw, to her utter dismay, that Sakurai was driving away with Rihoko in her van.

It was all becoming too much for Masane, everything was coming apart too quickly. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted an empty police cruiser, with the keys still in the ignition. Without a second thought of the possible consequences of her actions, the young mother jumped into the cruiser, shifted it into drive, and tore down the street after Sakurai and Riko. With the gas battle pressed nearly all the way to the floor, she managed to pull up beside the van in no time. Both her daughter and the social worker were surprised and aghast respectively at what the young mother was doing. Rolling down the window, she desperately tried to get her daughter's attention.

"Riko! Riko, hang on, I'm coming to get you!" shouted Masane. She accelerated the car even further, hoping to cut off the NSWF agent and stop her from taking her daughter. Unfortunately, in her haste to reclaim her child, she didn't pay attention to the where she was going. By the time she looked back onto the road, she saw that she was about seconds from hitting a fork in the road. She tried to avoid a collision, but she still managed to clip the guard rail. At the speed she was going, the car went airborne, flipping over and over as it tumbled down the road, before managing to land upright and collide with the railing beside a sidewalk. The impact caused her head to bash against the steering wheel, hard. She futilely tried to stay alert, but to no avail.

'_Naruto...Riko_' were her last thoughts before she finally blacked out.

**M.o.t.B. **

Naruto awoke with a start; he could have sworn that he heard Masane call out to him. He tried to open his eyes, but had to immediately shut his eyes from the intensity of the florescent lights above him. Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he suddenly realized that he wasn't in the same jail cell that he had first woken up in. The metal bars had been replaced with solid concrete painted in a bright white, which was blinding to look at due to the lighting in the room. Upon seeing the toilet/sink, the metal cot bolted to the wall, and the single door with an outside view cover, it became apparent to the young father exactly where he was.

'_Shit! I'm in solitary confinement!_' He immediately bounded for the door, and banged on it as hard as he could. "Hey! HEY! Someone let me out of here! You can't just leave me locked in here without justifiable cause!"

Suddenly, the metal flap slid away to reveal a pair of extremely annoyed eyes. "Stop making so much racket already. I've already got enough trouble makers to watch over without having to worry about someone like you."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at police officer's words. "_Someone like me_, eh? I take it that you're one _those_ types of cops."

The officer scoffed at the veiled accusation. "Don't start that shit with me. I could care less whether you're from Kyoto or San Diego. What I _do _have a problem with is you attacking and seriously injuring my men. And on top of that, you just had to go and assault a representative of the NSWF."

Naruto scowled at the mention of that meddling woman, whose name he never bothered to remember. "Oh, come on, that pretentious twat started it. And besides, don't try to act as if you've never had the urge to throttle that woman for ordering you about like you're her personal soldiers."

The officer didn't rise to the bait like he had hoped. "Despite your opinion of the matter, that doesn't change the fact that you've been charged with assault on two separate occasions, and considering your track record with law enforcement in the past, I'd get comfortable if I were you."

"Now hold on a second, those incidents were not my fault! I've got it on record that those pigs instigated each and every one of those confrontations!" Old memories began to resurface for Naruto, as he recalled those racist cops that roughed had him up, so sure that would get away with their actions because _**they**_ were _**the law**_, and he was just some gaijin that didn't belong.

"That remains to be seen." the policeman answered. "So until I've gotten all the information I need, you might as well make yourself comfortable. Maybe some time in this cell will calm you down." And with that, the small metal cover was slid back into place, and the officer walked away.

"Hey! Hey, come back here!" exclaimed Naruto, as he banged against the door, trying in vain to get the man to come back. "What about my one phone call? Don't I at least get that right? Come on, I need to talk to my wife! Hey, aren't you listening to me?! HEY!" It was no use, the policeman was already gone, leaving the blonde all alone in extremely small cell, with nothing but the hum of the florescent lighting, and the wails from the other occupied isolation cells to keep him company. Now alone, there was nothing to stop the utter despair that he had been barely keeping at bay from settling back in. His back listlessly slammed against the door, and allowed gravity to slowly pull him down to the ground. Everything was going so wrong so fast, and it looked as if there was nothing that he could do about it.

'_Masane...Rihoko...I'm sorry, I couldn't keep us together._'

**M.o.t.B. **

'_Masane..._'

"Wha?" the brunette moaned, as she tried to wake up. Her neck was stiff, there was something on her forehead, and she felt bruised and battered all over. '_What the hell happened to me? And why did I just hear Naruto's voice inside of my head? It sound as if he were ca-_'

It all came back to her like a flash of lightning: their arrival to New Tokyo, that Child Welfare bitch somehow finding them at the restaurant, her husband starting a fight with the cops so that she and Rihoko could try and escape. Rihoko! She had signed custody of her over to that manipulative bitch, Saku-something! And she tried to get her back by hijacking a police cruiser of all things!

Masane bolted upright, no longer drowsy, but instantly regretted acting so quickly as a fresh wave of pain seemed to flow all throughout her body, her forehead feeling especially tender. Instinctively, her hand reached to feel the afflicted area, where her fingers touched something that was thick and made of cotton. Out of curiosity, she gently pressed down on the bandage, only to wince as a sharp throb of pain raced from that spot. It was most likely where she had hit her head against the car's steering wheel.

"Well, it seems you're finally awake." said voice behind her, making Masane flinch from the sudden noise.

Slowly, but surely, Masane turned to see a police officer that was standing outside of the jail cell, and he did not look amused at all. "You do realize that you're in _a lot_ of trouble don't you?" the man asked.

When Masane didn't answer, the officer took it as a prompt to continue. "Considering that you've stolen a police cruiser _and _totaled it, not mention nearly caused a horrendous traffic collision that could have killed several people, you might be spending a long time behind bars. You'd better have one hell of a lawyer to get yourself out of this big hole you've dug yourself into." The man turned to leave the holding cells without another word, leaving Masane alone to stew in her sorrow, silent tears streaming down her cheeks and landing on her hands.

'_Riko...Naruto...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I broke our family apart._'

**M.o.t.B. **

Night fell in New Tokyo without any more outrageous accidents, but for Amaha-Uzumaki family, it felt like hell. The trio had traveled to the city to start over, to turn over a new leaf, but their past seemed to be determined to break them apart. The child of the family, on the other hand, wasn't willing to accept defeat. When the social worker mentioned that her parents were both alright, but in separate detention centers, she knew what she had to do. Whether she was influenced by her mother's stubbornness or her father's sense of pride, she just could not allow things to end so easily. By playing on her young age and innocent-like nature, she was able to give Ms. Sakurai the slip by pretending that she had to use the bathroom. The woman, who was conscientious of the turbulent emotions that the child was enduring because of her predicament, tried to be as genial and comforting as she could. She had no idea what little Riko was planning to do.

Whilst no one was looking, she slipped through one of the windows by the bathroom stall she was hiding in, grateful that there was a sizable ledge underneath. Unfortunately, the distance between her and the ground was too large, but there _was_ a tree just close enough for her to use. So with a deep breath, she leapt off the ledge and grasped the tree, screaming as she slid down. Suddenly she felt herself collide against another body. It was an unshaven man that looked a year younger than her father. He had a camera with him, which he immediately examined to see if it was damaged, claiming that it was his life. It was at that time that Ms. Sakurai stuck her head out of the window she had escaped from, and started calling out to her. Seeing that her clean escape was ruined, she quickly seized the opportunity that was before her, and begged the man to help her. He was reluctant at first, not wanting to look like he was a kidnapper, but quickly changed his mind when he heard an armed guard coming their way. After a quick sprint to the man's the car, they immediately sped off. As she watched the road whiz past them, she couldn't help but wonder if her parents were okay.

**M.o.t.B. **

Masane was laying on the ground, her arms wrapped around her legs, and her head resting against her knees. So consumed in her self-pity and anguish that she almost didn't notice the brief red flash from the scar on her right wrist, but she couldn't help but acknowledge the small twinge of pain that shot through the spot. But upon further inspection, the flash didn't appear again. Suddenly there was a loud banging noise coming from another cell that was on the other side of the holding area. Some inmate was wildly bashing himself against the bars.

"I can smell it in the night. This wonderful..._Mmm, the flesh..._" the crazed man said as a small blue glow began to shine through the upper part of his left shirt sleeve. Then, without warning, the glow intensified to the point that it seemed to rip the insane man's sleeve off, revealing a black bracelet with a blue jewel in its center bound around the man's left bicep. Now free of its fabric confinement, the jewel's glowing practically exploded, engulfing the figure in unnatural wind and mist as an unnatural transformation occurred.

Simultaneously, the scar on Masane's wrist began to glow once again, only this time it was accompanied by an intense pain. At first, it was mildly irritating to the young woman, but it quickly worsened with each passing second. Soon, it became unbearable; she clutched at her old wound, hoping that she could somehow ease the pain by applying pressure, but it was all for naught. Without warning the pain's intensity skyrocketed. She wailed in agony as she thrashed around on the floor, her wrist feeling as if it had been submerged in molten steel. She could just barely understand the officer on guard duty calling for back-up, when something bulldozed its way through the metal door that divided the room into two different holding areas. The cop's attention quickly refocused on the invader, his expression that of horror, before a large metallic, black blur shot forward and slammed him against the wall. Masane couldn't hear anything that intruder or the cop were saying, but she did hear the man's terrified screams and the gunshots, followed by the sounds of something metallic ramming against flesh with a sickening splatter and heavy concrete crumbling into dust.

Dead silence briefly settled around the area, until it was broken by the whirring noise of a motor, and the clanking of machinery, which was getting closer and closer to her cell. The odd machine stopped right in front of her door for a brief second, before the entire door was blown to pieces. From her position on the floor, she finally saw what was causing all the commotion, but she soon wish she hadn't. There, standing in front of her, had to be the most terrifying piece of machinery she had ever seen. It stood on a wheeled tripod base, with two small cylinders near the rear that looked as if they were locking mechanisms. The body was that of a support pole that was about as twice as wide as her arm, and yet strangely had a small piston sticking out. On top of the support beam was some kind of large air-pressurized bolt cannon, with a strange sensory unit on top of it. But what really drew her attention in was the tri-pronged claw that was on the end of the piston, its ends dripping with freshly-spilled blood.

"_So you're the one I've been sensing. What a delicious aroma!_" the horrific machine said, as it retracted its clawed bolt in a chorus of heavy clanking parts. The woman stared in silent horror as the claw spun counter-clockwise, inching closer and closer to the launching mechanism. "_It will feel so wonderful to rip you apart! All you have to do is stay still for me!_" Masane couldn't move, despite the fact that every fiber of her being was screaming at her to get away from the abomination. As the bolt was finally reloaded the small piston began to pump at a rapid pace

"_Here we go!_" laughed the demented, talking torture device. "_Oh, how I love the sound of crushing bone, the smell of blood, the taste of soft flesh!_"

But before the machine could attack, two more police officers arrived with their firearms drawn, ordering it to freeze. In retaliation the bolt cannon turned 180 degrees to face the men, before it launched its weapon at them, completely decimating the humans. Seeing two grown men get butchered by that monstrosity was enough to get Masane moving again, however with the damned thing blocking her only exit, the only direction she could move was backwards. Seeing her trembling form inch away, the machine crawled forward, once again retracting its bolt.

"_We can't have them interrupting, can we? It's just you and me now, my darling prey!_" The pistons on its wheeled base slammed into the ground, fixing it in place. Knowing that she was going to be the demonic automaton's next victim, her thoughts immediately went to her husband and daughter, and how she would never get to see them again; how she never even got the chance to say goodbye. Suddenly, something snapped within her.

"_I can't wait for the pain! The sound of ripping tissue! The taste of soft marrow!_" Before the machine could even think about attacking, a thin, red, razor sharp tentacle sprung out from the woman's wrist and sliced a portion of its base off like a knife through hot butter. Surprised by the sudden action, the sentient killing machine howled as if it were in pain.

But Masane, on the other hand, was hunched over and clutching her right wrist, the red tentacle sticking out between her fingers and thrashing around like mad. Suddenly, the tentacle withdrew back into her arm, vanishing into the small scar. Moments later, the pain returned a hundredfold, with the point of origin being the woman's scarred wrist.

She could barely keep herself from blacking out from the pain, her eyes clenched shut in a futile attempt to lessen the agony, but things quickly worsened when a ruby red orb emerged from her skin without warning. She began to sense something...dark within her mind. It was difficult to describe; it was like some sort of presence, not like a voice but a collection of compulsions, something that seemed familiar and yet completely foreign. Whatever it was, Masane could feel it trying to imprint upon her, to make her do things that both horrified and aroused her. It was as if there were thousands upon thousands of different urges firing through her head all at once, making her feel as if her brain was going to explode at any minute. And the worst part was that all of these urges sounded exactly like her! She tried to drown out the..._entity's_ voices, tried to focus on thinking about Rihoko, Naruto, or even that blasted machine, anything that could stop the pounding in her head. But the moment her thoughts landed on her husband and the death machine, the entity's distorted voices grew louder, their demands practically being shouted into her ears.

"No..." Masane tried to resist the intrusive entity's seductive whisper to let it fight the monster in front of her. It said that it could save her..._them_...from that bloodthirsty freak easily; how it could help her find both Rihoko and Naruto. So distracted with her internal struggle that she didn't notice the appearance of two purple lines that stretched from the bottom of her jawline to just underneath her eyes, nor that her brown hair was slowly changing to blood red.

"No!" The legion of voices would not be so easily deterred. It angrily reminded the woman that if she didn't accept their help, they would all die. And if necessary, they would _force_ her to accept their help, at which the voices began to get louder and louder, drowning out Masane's conscience. The orb on her wrist shone even brighter than before, as clouds of mist and sparks of red light began to emanate from the jewel. Her eyes snapped open, revealing how the organs had taken on a more arcane quality; gone were her brown corneas, and in their place were bright yellow orbs. The normally white sclera had darkened to an obsidian black, making the sensory organs look as if they were small twin moons in a night's sky. And it was the sight of those eyes that signified the deity's dominance of its host's body, triggered by one last brilliant flash of vermillion.

"NNNNOOOO_**OOOOOOOOOOOO**_!" In a whirlwind of mist and red light, a black liquid metallic substance erupted from the jewel, traveling down her arm to the rest of her body, her clothes being reduced to dust as the alien material made contact with the cloth. When the small maelstrom finally died down, there stood a new and completely transformed Masane Amaha-Uzumaki. The armor that just barely covered her otherwise naked body was a...hodgepodge of gray and silver metal, with streaks of red and maroon spread throughout. She had gray high-heeled boots that reached up to her knees with a bladed edge in front of her shins, curved blades pointing upwards where her toes would be, and bladed heels. Her entire right arm was encased in the metal, with a curved blade jutting outward from underneath her forearm, the red jewel still embedded on her wrist, and had small silver blades embedded over her fingers and thumb. Her voluptuous breasts were just barely contained by small bits of the armor in the shape of ghastly ghoul hands, and her womanhood and intergluteal cleft were narrowly covered by a small little patch that had a small silver point placed provocatively on the piece. Those were the only areas that the durable yet light armor actually covered, revealing a gratuitous amount of skin, including her inner thighs, navel area, and her buttocks. Additionally, the armor seemed to be more concentrated on the right side of her body; her left femur and arm were completely bare, save for a small "glove" that ended slightly above the wrist. Finishing off her intimidating yet sexy appearance was her dark red hair, which had grown into a wild and spiky mane that reached the small of her back.

But if Masane was bothered at the sudden change in her appearance, she didn't seem to care. No, her glowing gaze was focused on the wretched instrument of death that tried to kill her. She said nothing, her visage expressing bored indifference, as she made a "come hither" motion with one of her bladed fingers.

The machine seemed to be more excited than ever. "_You're an NSWF! No wonder you smell so nice!_" it exclaimed. The new Masane didn't respond, as she slowly stepped towards her enemy. Suddenly, several strands of her hair extended, the ends sharpening to barbed points, before they shot forward and pierced through the mobile cannon, violently shoving it against the bars of the cell directly behind it. As Masane walked out of her former cell, her hair tendrils retracted, allowing the bolt cannon to land roughly on the ground.

"_You're the best I've ever had! I can't wait to tear into you, and finish you in one blow!_" screamed the cannon, its piston pumping wildly, and its bolt primed for firing. And yet again, Masane remained nonpulsed. The gem on her wrist flashed briefly, and as if responding to it, the blade extended downwards, the small blade now the length of a medium sized sword.

"_**Sorry, I've already got someone who does it for me,**_" Her voice was like a whisper. Then, in a flash of speed, her arm shot up, the sound of a blade slicing through metal ringing through the air. "_**...and you're not him.**_" she finished, as the blade retracted, and regained its original form. And with that, she turned away from her enemy, and made her way towards the hole in the wall.

"_HEY, WHERE DO YOU THINK Y-_" the machine was consumed in a violent, fiery explosion, cutting off its rant in mid-sentence. Just as she was about to step outside the jail, Masane noticed that there was a silvery liquid splattered on her right arm. Out of an errant impulse, she licked the substance off of her thumb, realizing that it tasted like blood. Hearing a shout from her left snapped her out of her reverie, and she broke out into a mad dash away from the approaching stranger. Little did she know was that she had been spotted by two men: a photographer who coincidentally had her daughter, and a man who had recorded her as well as struck her with a homing tranquilizer dart.

**M.o.t.B. **

**With Naruto**** – (takes place the same time Masane's "encounter" occurs) **

Naruto awoke from his slumber with a start, a sharp stinging pain jolting in his wrist. Looking at his right arm, he was surprised to see no sign of injury, save for the scar that was from that strange injury he and Masane had when they were first found.

'_That's strange,_' he thought, '_I could've sworn something was wrong. Am I finally going crazy from being in this room?_'

"_No...No!_"

Naruto's eyes snapped wide open, his pupils darting all around the room in search of anything that didn't belong in his cell, like a microphone, or a speaker. To his displeasure, it was just an ordinary solitary confinement cell, with the only electronic device being the security camera mounted in a corner of the ceiling. But that voice, there was no doubt about. It sounded exactly like...

"Masane?"

"_NNNNOOOOOOOO!_"

"Masane!" Naruto leapt to his feet, frantically looking for whatever was making him hear his wife's voice, her panicked tone making his already frazzled nerves even worse. Was she alright? Were the cops up to something? Questions like these flooded his mind, as he paced around the room like a caged animal.

'_Fuck! FUCK! I've got to get out of here! Masane's in danger, and I'm stuck in some jail Kami knows where!_' Naruto internally raged. '_I have got to escape! I've got to find her! Fucking damn this cell!_'

Suddenly, he heard something crash through a wall, making the lights in his cell flicker off. The faint yells from policemen, both fearful and controlled, could be heard through his door. Gunshots quickly followed soon after.

'_SHIT! Now there's a prison break? How can things possibly get any worse?!_' It was a rhetorical question, but he received an answer nonetheless.

Another jolt of pain from his wrist broke him from his thoughts, powerful enough for the blonde to take a second look at it, and notice the orange-yellow glow emitting from his scar. Finally, as if noticing the abnormality was some sort of cue, the pain intensified to the degree that it actually brought Naruto to his knees, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. To his horror, he was treated to the sight of an amber jewel breaking through his skin and settling onto his wrist. But it wasn't _just _the jewel's appearance that freaked him out, it was the black liquid that began to flow out of it. The process was slow going, but when the substance covered his entire lower right arm...

"**At long last, my time has finally come!**"

...all hell broke loose.

_(cue for music* begins)_

The moment Naruto heard that loud guttural voice in his mind, he felt a sudden burning sensation in his chest. Instinctively, he placed his left hand on the affected area, but had to quickly remove it as it felt as if he had touched molten lava. When he looked to see if his hand had the injuries to match the burning sensation, he was meet with the sight of his hand engulfed in a red miasma, the same miasma that belonged to that demonic bestial face from his nightmares. On top of that, his fingernails had somehow sharpened, now resembling claws of a demon.

"**It has taken me six long years, but I've finally found a way out of this cage! I cannot wait to be free of this filthy human!**" the voice growled with joy within Naruto's mind, as the crimson energy began to travel up the length of his arm, heading directly towards his head. The black liquid, as if sensing the impending danger should the red energy reach its target, sped up its pace and reached the right side of his head the same moment the red energy got to the left side. The effect was instantaneous: the hair on the right side of his face faded to black and his eye changed to a yellow cornea against black sclera pattern, whereas the left side's hair simply became more haggard and the eye turned bloodshot with the cornea becoming blood red with a slitted pupil. The only thing the two sides had in common were the scar-like whisker marks that adorned Naruto's cheeks.

"**WHAT?! You **_**dare **_**to take what is rightfully mine?!**" The snarled threat was more concentrated on his left ear, as murderous and violent thoughts began to surface. But to his surprise, he felt a presence in his right side actually confront the voice. It didn't say anything, but Naruto could practically _feel_ its contempt for the secondary invader. The entire inner conflict set his head ablaze with excruciating pain, it felt as if his brain was going to explode. His eyes clenched shut, as he tried to remain conscious. So distracted by his torment, that he was completely unaware of the sounds of carnage that were getting closer and closer to his position.

"**NO! I was trapped in this damned fleshling** **long before you arrived, and I will be damned to the lowest depths of the netherworld if I let you gain control!**" His left arm lashed out at his right, his claws raking through the black substance, trying to break its hold on the man's right half. But try as it might, the liquid metal would always reform itself. And whilst the red miasma was focused on breaking its opponents grip, it failed to notice a trail of black liquid slowly creeping behind Naruto's neck, until it finally reached the other side, and began to push the energy away from its half of the blonde's head.

"**No! NO! NO, I WILL NOT SUBMIT TO YOU!**" The voice's tone was becoming more enraged, borderline desperate. Naruto's entire left side began to thrash wildly, growling and snarling as if it was a cornered wild animal that refused to go down without a fight. But the black liquid persisted, reclaiming Naruto's left arm inch by inch regardless of how strongly the miasma fought back; it had already lost its foothold.

"**YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF ME!**" was the last thing the energy said before it was finally snuffed out. Now, with nothing left to hinder it, the liquid was allowed full reign on his body, its presence able to fully imprint its influence on its newest host. Immediately, Naruto's head was the first to be fully transformed. His wild and raggedy hair darkened until it was as dark as a midnight sky, with small streaks of his natural hair color still present at the ends. His eyes snapped open to reveal a startling sight: they had the combined appearance of his two previous forms. The sclera were still black, but instead of being yellow, his corneas were a deep red with a slitted pupil. Naruto snarled as he felt the presence's "voice" become louder in his mind, and the jewel's latent energies build up within his body. With a mighty roar, a whirlwind of ash gray mist and yellow-orange light exploded, with himself at the epicenter.

_(cue for music* ends)_

Suddenly, the steel door was bashed into his cell, the culprit being a mobile bolt cannon armed with a jagged harpoon. When the mist finally parted, the sentient machine saw its target. Standing in front of it wasn't the human that had been originally placed there. Instead of his normal clothes, he was completely covered in pitch black armor that looked as if it had been poured over his body when it had been super-heated into liquid. Only his head, pecs, and abs were visible. Centered on his wrist was the orange-yellow orb, surrounded by a circular structure with horizontal gaps at the center; it looked like that strange monster catching ball from one of Riko's favorite cartoons. On his knuckles were pointed uprisings, similar to the ones found on a crown. And there, sticking out from the end of the circular structure, was a double-edged blade, similar to a medieval European sword. As he fixed his crimson gaze upon the sentient machine, the ghastly thing seemed to shudder in exhilaration.

"_You!_" the machine seemed to be in barely-restrained ecstasy. Naruto could practically sense the bloodlust from the metal menace. "_It was you that I've been sensing! So much like those NSWF's, but different...coarse...unrefined! It's an entirely new experience, one that is MINE and mine alone! I can't wait to splatter your blood, to crush your-_" Its ranting was interrupted by a strong right cross across its cannon, the force behind the blow sending it flying back out of the cell and into the adjacent wall. Before it even touched the ground, a hard wheel kick sent it tumbling down the hall. Now that Naruto was finally free, he was able to see the fruits of the monstrosity's labor. Blood was splattered everywhere, with eviscerated body parts scattered about. He could make just a few arms and legs that were still somewhat intact, but it was the heads, and their horror-stricken expressions, that made Naruto's blood boil.

"_Aw, what's the matter, feeling left out that I didn't include you in the making of my masterpiece? Well don't worry, I can easily add your blood with others!_" A pair of legs unfolded from the machine's base, and pushed it upright. Its internal mechanisms started turning, as it prepared to deploy its weapon. Naruto remained calm and silent, his glare unmoving. The jewel on his wrist flashed briefly, before the blade extended, growling longer and longer, until a cross-shaped guard, hilt and pommel emerged. The cross guard had clover leaf symbols at the end, and had an orange-yellow tear shaped jewel embedded in its center. The moment his hand grasped the hilt of the newly created sword, black tentacles shot out of the hilt's grip and fused it to his wrist. Naruto gave the weapon a few test swings, and changed hold of it from hand to hand, until it was back to his right hand once again. He idly noticed that the tentacles always separated and reattached themselves to the wrist of whichever hand was grasping it. The arrival of his new weapon seemed to excite the harpoon gun even more.

"_Oh yeah, now we're talking! I love it when my prey tries to fight back! But it'll all be for naught, I'll still kill you, and bathe in your bl-_" It all happened so fast. One moment, Naruto was standing in front of the talking cannon with his sword held idly at his side, the next he disappeared in burst of speed along with a flash of silvery steel, and stopped a few feet behind it. His sword was pointed upward, and silvery liquid was dripping off the blade.

"_**Utterly pathetic. You're not worth the effort.**_" said Naruto, his baritone voice cold as winter. He brought the sword up to inspect the liquid that was on his blade, which smelled an awful lot like blood. Frowning in disgust, he ran his left hand along the sword's flat edge, and wiped the silvery blood of the metal's polished surface with a flick of his wrists. Completely losing interest in his opponent, he made his way towards the end of the corridor, where the possessions of the prisoners were kept. The machine, having heard Naruto's comment, didn't take the dismissal well.

"_HOW DARE YOU! COME BACK HERE AND FI-_" In mid-shout, the machine exploded, spewing shrapnel and fire everywhere, but Naruto didn't even flinch. Approaching the locker, specifically the one that had the same number as his cell, he punched through the door and ripped it off its hinges. Once he had his belongings back he was about to make his way out of the station, when he heard the sound of policemen hustling and shouting coming closer and closer to his position. That wouldn't do at all, he just wanted to escape, not have to fight through an entire platoon of men just doing their jobs. Then, something flashed through his mind, like some sort of idea or compulsion. Looking down at the sword, he thought back to when it was in its previous form, and was surprised to see the weapon retract and become reabsorbed into the armor on his right arm, as if it were responding to his own thoughts. That's when he noticed that the gem on his wrist began to glow even brighter than before, and could feel the pressure of something building up. Acting on instinct, he clenched his fist, and pointed his arm at the jail's wall. The moment he wished that he could just break through that blasted obstacle, a powerful amber-colored beam shot out of the jewel and collided against the wall with a massive **bang**, throwing up massive amounts of dust and debris everywhere. When the smokescreen settled, Naruto was shocked to see that the attack had blown a large hole in the wall, allowing him see the night sky and the rest of New Tokyo outside. Knowing what was rushing towards him, Naruto quickly made his escape.

**M.o.t.B. **

**Back at Masane's jail, seconds after her escape**

He counted himself quite lucky to easily find the source of the energy signature that their sensors had picked up. He had just managed to get into an adequate position to record footage of the source making her way out towards freedom. There had been that amateur photographer who had gotten there before him, but using a flashlight, and imitating a police officer was enough to scare him away. His voice had also spooked his target away as well, but luckily he had managed to tag her with a tranquilizer dart equipped with a small GPS locator. Now alone, he fished out his cell phone, and selected a number that he had programmed on speed dial.

"Hey, it's me." began the bespectacled, business suit wearing man. "I'm sending you the video footage right now."

"-"

"So do you think she has what we're looking for?"

"**-**"

"I'm still at the scene right now. The target fled a while ago, but I managed to tag her with a tracer. We'll be able to find her once the drug takes effect."

"**-**"

"It will be done, sir." The man hung up, his gaze focusing on the destruction before him. He had a lot of work ahead of him: calling in a clean-up crew to gather the remains of the destroyed Ex-con, coroners to pick up the remains of the poor souls that had been slaughtered by said Ex-con, seize all CCTV footage of the battle that had occurred, have a believable cover story made for the public, and either have the officers sworn to secrecy or _**silenced**_ about what they'd witnessed. To any man, this would've seemed like an impossible task. But for Hiroki Segawa, it was just another average day's work in Doji Group Industries. But there was one fact that Segawa had failed to mention to his boss, Reiji Takayama, when they were first pinpointing the location of the Witchblade. For a brief moment, their sensors had picked two energy readings that both registered as the relic they were looking for, in two different locations. But just as soon as it appeared, one of the signals disappeared off the map completely. Figuring that their instruments were overloaded by the energy released when the Witchblade revealed itself, he just wrote off the secondary signal as a result of a technical glitch. Yet for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about that secondary signal.

**M.o.t.B. **

'_Riko...Naruto..._' These were the thoughts that continued to run through Masane's mind. After she had defeated that machine monster, and made her escape, she felt...unstoppable. It was as if every single cell in her body was supercharged! She felt faster, stronger, like nothing was impossible for her. All of her desires, both the ones she shared openly and the ones hidden in the darkest recesses of her mind, were now obtainable to her. Now nothing could break her family apart! And then it hit her: she had no idea where her husband or daughter were. That's when she began to feel her strength leave her. It made no sense, she'd been bounding from rooftop to rooftop mere seconds ago, now she having trouble just standing upright!

Knowing that she wasn't long for the world of consciousness, Masane dropped down to the ground level, and dragged herself into a dark, deserted alley. She made it halfway inside before she finally tripped over her own feet. She tried to use an old wooden crate to push herself back up, but she was just too weak.

"_**Riko...Naruto...please hang on...I'm coming...to find...you both...**_my...family..." With the last of her strength depleted, she collapsed onto the hard ground. In a flash of red light, her revealing armor disintegrated, revealing the same clothes she'd been wearing at the beginning of the day. But she had two additional things on her person that she didn't have since setting foot in New Tokyo: a small dart with a flashing red light sticking out of her upper left thigh, and an ornate silver bracelet on her right wrist, now covering up the scar that had originally been there. The jewelry piece was a sleek band of silver that wound around the woman's wrist, with a small structure that resembled a tulip, with the "stem" pointing up her arm. And in the center of this "tulip" was ruby red orb.

**M.o.t.B. **

Naruto plowed through a group of trashcans as he blindly staggered down the decrepit ghetto street. He hadn't any idea on where he was going, as his only concern at the time was to get as far away from the police station as possible. But now that he was far away from where he had first transformed, and the adrenaline had finally faded away, the stress of the day's events was beginning to catch up with him. Knowing that he couldn't continue any further, Naruto turned down an alleyway that led to a dead end. He made his way towards the very end, his hold on his transformation breaking along the way, the armor disappearing in a flash of amber light. Now in his normal attire, he collapsed against the brick wall, clutching his backpack like a life preserver, his exhaustion too strong to resist.

'_Hang on a little longer...Riko...Masane...just hang on a little longer. I'll find you both in the morning, and we'll be...together again,...I promise._' were his last thoughts, before his heavy eyelids closed, and he fell fast asleep. So strong was his exhaustion, that he failed to notice what was on his own right wrist. Unlike Masane's new bracelet, it was made of a bronze-colored metal, that almost looked like rust. Four small ridges, each getting thinner as they reached towards his arm, gave off the illusion of a crown usually found with medieval kings. And in its center was the same orange-yellow jewel he had seen on his armor and weapon.

No one could predict the chaos that was about follow with the arrival of the two ancient weapons.

_To Be Continued... _

**Special thanks to Vandenbz, my beta reader.**

**This was actually a lot harder to write than I first thought. No matter what, I just couldn't get the scene down right. That, and describing Masane's Witchblade form is tough as hell. Here's a link to a picture of Witchblade Masane and Excalibur Naruto standing side by side: toanaruto. Deviantart art/Masters -of -the -Blades -336472695, just get rid of the spaces.**

***During Naruto's transformation sequence, I thought that some appropriate background music would make the scene a lot better. My reason behind this: figured that since Naruto was bonding to a portion of a woman-exclusive weapon, and a certain fox saw said bonding as a means to escape, the transformation wasn't as fluid as Masane's. Here's a link to the music:** ** www. Youtube watch? v=2xgUr74VvvI. Just be sure to get rid of the extra spaces. **

**Before anyone recognizes the elephant standing in the room, yes, I am aware of how long it has taken me to update this story. But the thing is, my life hasn't been going too well for me as of late. Loads of personal problems occurring one after another, and accidentally losing all of my files, has caused severe writer's block for me, as well as loss of inspiration, to the point I was almost ready to just give everything up. So fair warning to everyone, if you're expecting me to push an update every few weeks , then you're going to be disappointed. For those who have stuck with me, I greatly appreciate it, for those who haven't I hold no hard feelings. **

**Please read and review, tell what you did and didn't like! **

**P.S., HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!**


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